Ranking the 8 worst Timberwolves starters of the Karl-Anthony Towns era

6. Nemanja Bjelica

Making his NBA debut with the Timberwolves at age 27, Nemanja Bjelica joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015. He came to the United States after beginning his professional basketball career eight years earlier in 2007.

Bjelica lasted three seasons in Minnesota before signing a new deal with the Sacramento Kings in 2018. While with the Timberwolves, he earned 22 career starts and averaged just over six points per game.

Coincidentally, Bjelica joined the Wolves at the same time as Karl-Anthony Towns. He was one of the few teammates that was around for each of the first three seasons of KAT’s career. Unfortunately, he did not do enough to move the team forward in his time in the Twin Cities, as Minnesota won less than 36 games on average during his tenure.

Ultimately, Bjelica never provided as much of a scoring punch as the team may have hoped for when they brought him in from overseas. He excelled as a passer and read the floor well, but he was another example of a player that was not the greatest fit next to Towns.

The best season of Bjelica’s Timberwolves tenure was during 2017-18, where he earned 21 of his 22 starts with the team. But his offensive fit was still a bit clunky, and he never earned a full-time role as a starter before departing the franchise.