Sources: Benching Bjelica part of Kings’ plan to rebuild around Fox, not a personal issue
The Kings have downplayed the recent absence of Nemanja Bjelica with a series of vague explanations, but the truth could have more significant implications for the future of the franchise.
The Kings reduced Bjelica’s role as part of general manager Monte McNair’s plan to rebuild around De’Aaron Fox, the 23-year-old point guard who recently signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Sacramento Bee.
Bjelica was benched two weeks ago after some discussion about his playing time, sources said. Kings coach Luke Walton has said he plans to bring Bjelica back into the rotation, but prior to Friday’s game against the New York Knicks, Walton said Bjelica would be held out for the sixth consecutive game.
Walton and team officials cited personal reasons for the first time when Bjelica did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, sources told The Bee there is no personal issue for Bjelica, who traveled with the team to Los Angeles and was seen on the bench as the Kings suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
Walton has tiptoed around the reasons for Bjelica’s absence while repeatedly making it clear the decision has nothing to do with the coaching staff’s belief in him as a player.
“Me and him have talked,” Walton said. “Again, we’re all on the same page as far as where we’re at, but there’s some — he’s not (sitting out) due to a lack of trust with us. There’s some personal stuff and I’m just going to leave it at that, but we have been in communication and we are very confident in the player he is still.”
The Kings explored trades for Bjelica around the time of the November draft and will likely continue to do so as they begin to rebuild over the next two to four years with players who fit Fox’s timeline, a source said. The organization’s emphasis on developing younger players has temporarily, at least, eliminated the role of Bjelica, a 32-year-old power forward who had a career year for the Kings last season.
Bjelica came to Sacramento when former general manager Vlade Divac signed him to a three-year, $20.5 million free-agent deal in 2018. The Kings could have released Bjelica before his $7.15 million salary became guaranteed Nov. 19, but they chose to bring him back for a third season. Bjelica will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Bjelica started 137 games for the Kings over the past two seasons. He averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 27.9 minutes per game last season, shooting a career-best 41.9% from 3-point range.
Bjelica’s minutes and production have dropped dramatically this season with the return of Marvin Bagley III, who is starting at power forward after missing most of the 2019-20 season due to injuries. Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is averaging 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Bjelica played a modest but effective role off the bench as the Kings went 3-1 to start the season with two wins over the Denver Nuggets and one over the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 9.0 points on 55.2% shooting from the field and 57.1% shooting from 3-point range over the first five games. He went 1-for-14 from 3-point range over the next five games as his minutes dwindled and then disappeared despite his hot start and Bagley’s early struggles.
Last weekend, before anyone in the organization referred to any personal issues relating to Bjelica, Walton explained he was experimenting with different groups in hopes of improving Sacramento’s porous defense, but he planned to get Bjelica back on the floor.
“We’re going to get him back into the rotation soon here,” Walton said before a Jan. 17 game against the New Orleans Pelicans. “But looking at a few different things, our main thing right now is defensively, how can we start to get stops, and we have to see what we can do with that. For now, I’m just looking at what groups can get out there and put together some stops and help us on that end.”
Somehow the Kings have only gotten worse defensively. They were 10th in the NBA in defensive rating at 110.5 over the first five games of the season. They are now 30th at 119.9 after posting an unsightly 126.7 rating over the past five games. They have lost four in a row and nine of their last 11.
Veteran guard Cory Joseph, 29, has also experienced a reduction in minutes recently. Joseph averaged 23.6 minutes over the first eight games, helping the Kings go 4-4 to start the season. He averaged 16.1 minutes as the Kings went 1-6 over the past seven games.
Joseph and Bjelica aren’t young, flashy or particularly athletic — and neither will be part of the team’s long-term plans — but they are a part of Sacramento’s two most highly rated lineups this season, according to Basketball-Reference. Joseph has been a part of the team’s top three lineups and four of the top five.
Walton recently talked about the balance of developing younger cornerstone players such as Fox, Bagley, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield while leaning on experienced veterans who know how to play winning basketball.
“It is a balancing act,” Walton said. “… You look at where the future of this team is going, and a lot of that is with De’Aaron and Tyrese and Marvin and Buddy, and so we understand that. We need them out there. We need them getting better, but at the same time we’re trying to win. There’s not an easy answer to that. It is a balancing act of getting the experience and that exposure. You hear me say all the time the best way to learn things is to go through it, but there’s some pain that comes with that and there are some tough times that come with that.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 6:46 PM.
