Miami Heat: Getting Familiar With Latest Acquisition, Nemanja Bjelica
By Isiah Curry
Miami Heat’s Newest Addition: How Nemanja Bjelica Ended Up Here
After being selected 35th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards traded Bjelica’s draft rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Nemanja would continue his professional play overseas, signing deals with Saski Baskonia and Fenerbahce Ulker.
His greatest international accomplishments came in the form of two silver medals (EuroBasket 2009 and FIBA World Cup 2014) and he was named the 2015 EuroLeague Most Valuable Player after averaging 12.1 points and 8.5 rebounds for Fenerbahce Ulker.
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As he finally wrapped up his overseas play, Nemanja made his long-awaited NBA debut by signing a multi-year deal with the Timberwolves before the 2015-2016 season, five years after being traded on draft night.
Through his first three seasons with Minnesota, he came across averages of 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds on 45% shooting from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. Nemanja’s strongest performance with the Timberwolves came in a 125-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016.
On that night, he was only bested by, then Timberwolves wing, Andrew Wiggins. Second only to his 47 points, Bjelica added 24 of his own on 9-15 shooting while shooting 5-8 from the outside.
After signing a three-year, $20.5 million deal with the Kings, Nemanja took on a larger role with yet another rebuilding franchise. For three seasons in Sacramento, Bjelica averaged just over ten points per game, as his outside shooting numbers saw an increase (40 percent three-point shooting).