Nemanja Bjelica

PLT · Post #1001 » by **PLT** » Sun Sep 6, 2015 5:20 pm

Nemanja Bjelica Crossover on Dirk Nowitzki

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bHzZgXmZgs[/youtube]

Mattya · Post #1002 » by **Mattya** » Sun Sep 6, 2015 5:45 pm

Big Shot Bjelica

Sugarless · Post #1003 » by **Sugarless** » Sun Sep 6, 2015 6:20 pm

Bjelica is just showing what everyone following European basketball knows, he's an excellent FIBA player. This is no surprirse coming from the current Euroleague MVP. His role and ceiling in the NBA are yet to be seen, though. Lack of defense, physical presence, quickness... those are things that will continue to be there and will probably limit his production as he makes the transition to a much different brand of basketball.

Saltine · Post #1004 » by **Saltine** » Sun Sep 6, 2015 7:04 pm

HQ vid;
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mApxn5YDisM[/youtube]

Saltine · Post #1005 » by **Saltine** » Sun Sep 6, 2015 7:07 pm

Nemanja Bjelica, the Timberwolves' other rookie, is showing why he's also a stud
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/9/6/9269109/nemanja-bjelica-highlights-eurobasket-2015-minnesota-timberwolves-serbia-basketball

Nemanja Bjelica is cold-blooded. The day after lighting up Spain with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Serbia's first game of EuroBasket 2015 group play, he struggled to find a groove against Germany -- until the game was on the line, that is. With 3.7 seconds left and the score knotted at 66, Bjelica grabbed the inbound pass on the right wing and, without hesitation, drove to the hoop and flipped up a running floater. It dropped through the net with 0.9 seconds to play. Game over.

Post #1006 » by **Klomp** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 12:11 am

People keep talking about his lack of quickness. He looks pretty quick/nimble to me. No he's not Anthony Davis, but he's not Oliver Miller, either. I don't really see that as a problem.

theGreatRC · Post #1007 » by **theGreatRC** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 1:54 am

Klomp wrote:People keep talking about his lack of quickness. He looks pretty quick/nimble to me. No he's not Anthony Davis, but he's not Oliver Miller, either. I don't really see that as a problem.

People say he lacks quickness because the way he moves on the court, handles the ball, passes the ball and is able to stretch the floor makes him look guard-ish. People don't realize he's 6'10 and at that height, you're not always the quickest/fastest in the world unless you're a physical freak like Davis/Dwight/Deandre. For Bjelica's height, his speed/quickness is no big deal.

Post #1008 » by **Domejandro** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 2:06 am

Klomp wrote:People keep talking about his lack of quickness. He looks pretty quick/nimble to me. No he's not Anthony Davis, but he's not Oliver Miller, either. I don't really see that as a problem.

People always say the Dirk Nowitski was slow/lethargic when he was actually one of the more nimble big men in European history, there is just a stigma around the big, European white guy that seems to exist, haha. That said, you are fully correct, he is very fluid athletically given his height of 6'10" (2.08 m).

lobishome · Post #1009 » by **lobishome** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 9:58 am

He isn't a athletic player but it's the first time I hear that Bjelica is slow. Who has said that? Also he has a great coordination for a 6 10 player. His physical weakness would be his lack of weight in comparison with others PF ... if he plays at PF.

Foye · Post #1010 » by **Foye** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 10:08 am

Saltine wrote:HQ vid;
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mApxn5YDisM[/youtube]

God Pleiß D on him is horrible. :lol:

Sugarless · Post #1011 » by **Sugarless** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 11:55 am

Ah, the ever so touchy Timberwolves board.

Of course Bjelica is a very fluid player, he's got excellent footwork and ball-handling for a guy his height, and he's always been a crafty player. That's all gonna help him in the NBA just like it's made him one of the best players in Europe. But the fact that he moves well doesn't mean he moves fast related to the NBA game, or that he doesn't have limitations that will be more notable when transitioning to the NBA and will have a part in what his ceiling is in this league.

FinnTheHuman · Post #1012 » by **FinnTheHuman** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 1:43 pm

Sugarless wrote:Ah, the ever so touchy Timberwolves board.

Of course Bjelica is a very fluid player, he's got excellent footwork and ball-handling for a guy his height, and he's always been a crafty player. That's all gonna help him in the NBA just like it's made him one of the best players in Europe. But the fact that he moves well doesn't mean he moves fast related to the NBA game, or that he doesn't have limitations that will be more notable when transitioning to the NBA and will have a part in what his ceiling is in this league.

Yeah, people are maybe hyping him too much right now, but what he surely can be is a well above average back-up or maybe even a solid starter if the system with Rubio ends up working for him. I'd compare him to Boris Diaw, and we all know Diaw is twice the player he'd normally be just because he's on the Spurs team.

Takingbaconback · Post #1013 » by **Takingbaconback** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 3:40 pm

FinnTheHuman wrote:
Sugarless wrote:Ah, the ever so touchy Timberwolves board.

Of course Bjelica is a very fluid player, he's got excellent footwork and ball-handling for a guy his height, and he's always been a crafty player. That's all gonna help him in the NBA just like it's made him one of the best players in Europe. But the fact that he moves well doesn't mean he moves fast related to the NBA game, or that he doesn't have limitations that will be more notable when transitioning to the NBA and will have a part in what his ceiling is in this league.

Yeah, people are maybe hyping him too much right now, but what he surely can be is a well above average back-up or maybe even a solid starter if the system with Rubio ends up working for him. I'd compare him to Boris Diaw, and we all know Diaw is twice the player he'd normally be just because he's on the Spurs team.

Diaw was fantastic in Phoenix too, you are getting my hopes up higher unintentionally with that comparison lol. He in the early years would be a huge addition. Did not know bjelica is 27, we are getting him at the absolute prime

Post #1014 » by **Basti** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 4:52 pm

I never hated a Wolves player as much as I did yesterday.

But I was glad that it was Nemanja who did it and not another Serb.

FinnTheHuman · Post #1015 » by **FinnTheHuman** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 7:16 pm

Takingbaconback wrote:
FinnTheHuman wrote:
Sugarless wrote:Ah, the ever so touchy Timberwolves board.

Of course Bjelica is a very fluid player, he's got excellent footwork and ball-handling for a guy his height, and he's always been a crafty player. That's all gonna help him in the NBA just like it's made him one of the best players in Europe. But the fact that he moves well doesn't mean he moves fast related to the NBA game, or that he doesn't have limitations that will be more notable when transitioning to the NBA and will have a part in what his ceiling is in this league.

Yeah, people are maybe hyping him too much right now, but what he surely can be is a well above average back-up or maybe even a solid starter if the system with Rubio ends up working for him. I'd compare him to Boris Diaw, and we all know Diaw is twice the player he'd normally be just because he's on the Spurs team.

Diaw was fantastic in Phoenix too, you are getting my hopes up higher unintentionally with that comparison lol. He in the early years would be a huge addition. Did not know bjelica is 27, we are getting him at the absolute prime

Well the comparison does make a lot of sense, right? They have a lot of similarities, so if Diaw could contribute in the nba as a guy who was always 4th to 7th in importance on the rosters he was on, then I think Bjelica can easily get there too.

And the whole defense/intensity question marks that pop out in this topic are not too clear to me, because he's always been considered on of the better defenders at his position in Europe, and his length and weight are up to the nba standards as far as I know. He's also not shy of banging bodies on D and he does it effectively despite the fact that he's not built like a truck.

What people should rather worry about is whether he'll be able to keep his offensive efficiency in the nba. A 3-pointer half a meter further than in Europe could possibly drop his 3pt percentage, and overall better defense in the nba might be a problem for him. But I think he'll manage to deal with it, he's just too talented and smart not to find his ways to score and assist.

Mattya · Post #1016 » by **Mattya** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 7:33 pm

He will not be a fit Boris Diaw level defender.

Post #1017 » by **Klomp** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 8:49 pm

Diaw is 2 inches shorter than Bjelica

Post #1018 » by **Klomp** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 8:54 pm

FinnTheHuman wrote:What people should rather worry about is whether he'll be able to keep his offensive efficiency in the nba. A 3-pointer half a meter further than in Europe could possibly drop his 3pt percentage, and overall better defense in the nba might be a problem for him. But I think he'll manage to deal with it, he's just too talented and smart not to find his ways to score and assist.

I think he'll be okay from a step behind the line

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmfHqkhmqqw[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfeSuM6CSI[/youtube]

urinesane · Post #1019 » by **urinesane** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 9:27 pm

Rubio
Lavine
Wiggins
Bjelica
Towns

In a few years that could be a pretty amazing starting 5.

Mattya · Post #1020 » by **Mattya** » Mon Sep 7, 2015 9:49 pm

I would still prefer him coming off the bench and be our Lamar Odom.