RealGM

NEMANJA BJELICA, FORWARD
Many big teams around Europe were trying to sign him but Caja Laboral managed to land do-it-all forward Nemanja Bjelica to a multi-year deal. In just three years, Bjelica has gone from being a long-term injured player on an Austrian team to a global prospect with unlimited potential and surprising versatility. Able to play anywhere from point guard to power forward, Bjelica is a natural-born mismatch due to his size, frame, ballhandling and incredibly high basketball IQ. His court vision, however, is what makes Bjelica very special. He improved his decision making skills without losing creativity last season. A regular member of the Serbian national team, Bjelica is set to shine in his Euroleague debut.

Despite his great potential, Bjelica did not have an easy career, as he broke his leg playing for Arcadia Traiskirchen in Austria. Legendary coach Svetislav Pesic brought him to home to Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda, where just two years later, Bjelica averaged 18.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the Serbian League, often drawing comparisons to the great Toni Kukoc.

Bjelica knows how to take advantage of his size and ballhandling and it is not strange to see him grab a rebound and race downcourt to find an open teammate in transition. He reads the game like few players his size anywhere. He is still a developing player on defense but has a great chance to get stronger and better with Dusko Ivanovic as head coach. Bjelica also needs to work on his jump shot, as his natural options is to drive to the basket due to his physical skills. Bjelica, however, can create his own shot but needs to knock down jumpers with more consistency to get to the next level. Even with that, expect Laboral fans to enjoy a one-in-a-million player, as Bjelica could become the x-factor that could take his club back to the Euroleague Final Four.