The performances of some of the Warriors’ emerging cast of characters in the preseason – like Jordan Poole, who has elevated his game to new heights, and Otto Porter Jr. – have done a lot to generate excitement among Golden State fans prior to the season’s opening tip.

But one of the team’s new acquisitions, whose brand of basketball is less exciting and flashy but nonetheless yields results, could be a key piece in the team’s success going forward.

Power forward Nemanja Bjelica signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Warriors in early August, choosing to spend his seventh NBA season by the San Francisco Bay. Bjelica’s first three campaigns were spent in Minnesota before his transition to a starting lineup took place along with his move to the Sacramento Kings.

The Serbian national’s best professional season came in his second with the Kings, averaging 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2019-20. Bjelica put up the most three-pointers per contest of his career (4.4), converting a personal-best 41.9% of the triples he took.

So after a season with the Kings and the Miami Heat – the 6’10” 33-year old only appeared in 37 games as he dealt with a back injury and other roadblocks – it makes sense to hear Steve Kerr compare the career 38.7% shooter from distance with an old friend to Golden State fans.

“You think about it, we’ve never had a pick-and-pop big,” Kerr said for a story with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami shortly after Bjelica’s signing with the team in August. “Actually, I shouldn’t say that. We had Mo Speights. What I should say is we haven’t had a 3-point shooting pick-and-pop big. I look at Bjelica as the 3-point-shooting version of Mo, in many ways. Because all of a sudden, you’re looking at a spaced floor when you consider Klay’s return and Steph’s play last year, the ability to play Bjelica with Draymond, which basically turns Draymond into the five and the pick-and-roll guy with Bjelica spaced. Really exciting."

Kerr outlined exactly what Bjelica can add as a complementary force to the team. Bjelica will not necessarily have defenders on their heels with his athleticism or his speed, but he can space the floor and knock down shots from distance while also being an option, as Kerr mentioned, for a dump-off pass in the pick-and-roll.

Bjelica notched 10 points and five rebounds in the Warriors’ 111-99 preseason victory over the new-look Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and showed his prowess from distance in front of the Chase Center crowd last week, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc against the Denver Nuggets to finish with a respectable 13 points from the bench.

However, if you think Bjelica’s double-digit bench performances will stem simply from shooting the long ball, Draymond Green has been pleasantly surprised to see a more nuanced aspect of Bjelica’s game so far.

“I didn’t even know (Bjelica) could make plays like that off the dribble," Green said Tuesday prior to the Warriors’ victory at the Staples Center. "I had no f--king clue. When you’ve got a jump shot like, teams are going to close on you hard. For him to be able to put the ball on the floor like that and make plays ...We don’t really play traditional basketball, so when he’s getting in the paint he can either finish or you have somebody rotating, then you can make the right play. That’s good to see because he can still have those opportunities. With him making plays like that, it will be good.”

With the ability to provide height, length, spacing, and apparently playmaking off the dribble, Bjelica will likely not be the centerpiece of a successful 2021-22 season for Golden State, but he will be a piece to watch as the team hopes to go the distance.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)