Nemanja Bjelica left Sacramento and found greener pastures with Golden State

SACRAMENTO — Upon his return to his home for the better part of the past three seasons, Nemanja Bjelica insisted Sunday’s game against the Kings wasn’t any different for him than any of the other 81 games on the Warriors’ schedule.

“The first few years in Sacramento were the best years of my NBA career,” Bjelica said before the Warriors departed Saturday afternoon. “So Sacramento will always be important for me as a city. I’ve met a lot of people there. But I’m a professional, so it’s a normal game.”

Since signing on with Golden State this offseason, Bjelica is already looking like a bargain. After earning $20 million over the past three seasons, Golden State inked the 6-foot-10 Serbian to a $2 million contract after he failed to match the numbers from his breakout 2019-20 season. He looked like a potent force in the Warriors’ season opener, posting the first double-double in a debut with the team in almost 30 years.

Bjelica had the fortune of being one of the Kings’ only consistently healthy players in his final full season with the team, in 2019-20, before Sacramento dealt him to Miami midway through last season. He posted career highs in nearly every statistical category, including the only double-figure scoring average of his career (11.5 ppg).

“Sometimes, I was pissed because that was the only opportunity for me to show I can play and that I’m more than a stretch 4,” Bjelica recalled. “But in the NBA, it’s all about situation and opportunity. We had a good system there.”

Coach Steve Kerr mentioned recently how often Bjelica expresses his appreciation for Golden State’s system, which has allowed him to expand his role beyond a catch-and-shoot big man. Through his first two games, Bjelica is averaging 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, but he’s also dished out four assists.

Bjelica’s ability to put the ball on the floor and, importantly, knowing when to pass it and to whom, has surprised his new teammates.

“When he gets the ball in space and people run at him — we’ve seen it throughout camp — he can pump fake, put it on the floor and find people,” Kerr said. “Great passer. Just a really good basketball player. … Guys with good feel have always been a great fit with us. He’s absolutely a great fit.”

Bjelica only got to showcase those skills in bits and spurts through the first six years of his NBA career after earning EuroLeague MVP honors before arriving stateside.

Like their Northern California neighbors, the Kings missed out on the bubble in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but Bjelica thought he proved himself in his extended opportunity. Sacramento, instead, reduced his role and parted ways with two fellow countrymen: Vlade Divac, the general manager who signed him, and Bogdan Bogdanović, who signed with Atlanta in free agency.

Bjelica said he disagreed with the moves, but he sees the Kings moving in the right direction in their third year under head coach Luke Walton, a former Kerr assistant.

“I think they made a big mistake in letting Bogdan Bogdanović leave the team for nothing,” Bjelica said. “They just tried to rebuild, I guess. But Sacramento, now, they’re looking really good. They have a great core.”