Timberwolves Power Rankings: Butler blow soils solid stretch

6. Nemanja Bjelica (7)

Season stats: 16.5 MPG- 5.9 PPG – 3.3 RPG – 0.6 SPG – 48.2% FG – 43% 3PT – 82.8% FT

Weekly stats: 24.2 MPG – 6.3 PPG – 5.5 RPG – 1.5 SPG – 38.5% FG – 33.3% 3PT – 50% FT

Throughout every dark cloud is a silver lining, and with the Jimmy Butler shaped rain cloud hovering over Minnesota, Nemanja Bjelica looks certain to be the man who benefits most from the injury bug.

The big Serbian spent the final two games of the power rankings week in the starting line-up, averaging 33 minutes over that span. Don’t be surprised if this is one of the last times that Bjelly lingers outside the rankings starting five.

Despite that, Bjelica started pretty poorly in his first game of this edition, failing to score against the Lakers and adding just 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a block on a very quiet night. He improved in the Houston loss, dropping 5 points (2-4 FG, 1-1 3PT), grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists and swiping 3 steals.

It was after Butler went down that the combo forward was unleashed properly.

He dropped 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win over Chicago, but his 3-9 shooting was a black mark on an otherwise impressive night. Bjelica backed that up with a 12-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist, 4-steal mini explosion in the Kings victory, nailing 5-10 from the floor and 2-3 from long range.

Nemanja Bjelica now sits 11th overall in 3-point percentage at 43 percent, that ranks him higher than elite shooters like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. He will need every bit of that hot shooting and more if his team wants to cling on to that fourth seed in the Western Conference.