Ognjen Kuzmic: The Long Journey to NBA Readiness
By Ryan Hurlow
SANTA CRUZ — On Saturday night, Ognjen Kuzmic returned to Santa Cruz, where he was the starting center for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Kuzmic posted up six points, eight boards and one block in 30 minutes as he battled the Canton Charge’s physically imposing big man, Arinze Onuaku. Kuzmic wasn’t able to find an offensive rhythm all night as he got into foul trouble due to Onuaku’s attempts at establishing a low post presence. Santa Cruz was able to defeat the Charge for the first time in franchise history after losing the previous three contests to Canton (including one on Friday night).
While Kuzmic didn’t have a terribly impressive outing, head coach Casey Hill raved about his impact on the team’s overall performance.
“I thought defensively he was sound,” said Hill. “He’s showing growth on the defensive end. I think the offense will come once he’s able to play a little bit more. He’s not quite as sharp on the offensive end, but he didn’t overexert himself and played within himself tonight. He was big for us.”
It doesn’t take an NBA scout to see the potential Kuzmic possesses. Standing at 7-feet tall and weighing in at 250 pounds, the Bosnian Serb has physical tools needed to excel as a traditional NBA center. However, Kuzmic lacks something that all NBA prospects need in order to develop: consistent playing time. Kuzmic has only played a total of 66 minutes for Golden State throughout the entire season so far.
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“I wish I could play more games; that’s what I need. Getting minutes helps me,” Kuzmic said.
Even with Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli still out indefinitely due to injuries, Steve Kerr has not been giving Kuzmic more consistent minutes, even if limited. The Warriors already possess so much depth with Marreese Speights playing well and David Lee returning to form, so it’s easy to see why Kerr would want to stick with the winning formula. But the only way a player can get any better is by getting actual playing time.
Kuzmic must polish his offensive skill set and defensive discipline in order to become a more reliable player for Golden State. While his impact may not always reflect on the stat sheet, he does many things on court that would make a coach happy. He is a vocal leader on the defensive end, calling out cuts, screens and rotations. He credits Andrew Bogut for helping him develop his defensive abilities.
“He speaks the same language and he helps me with defense which is the most important for big guys,” Kuzmic said about his Aussie teammate.
Kuzmic makes it difficult for opponents to get easy looks at the rim with his height and length and he’s able to challenge most shots in the paint. However, he has to work on his post defense since a strong, physical player in Onuaku was able to back him down and either convert or get to the line.
Kuzmic recognizes the importance of team rebounding. Since it’s impossible to grab every defensive board, centers must also box out and keep opponents out of position in order for a teammate to secure the rebound. On offense, Kuzmic is adept at screening and pinning down defenders in order to open up a lane for his teammates. Kuzmic wasn’t able to get many touches on Saturday night, but had some flashes of good offense, including a smooth jumper from the free throw line and an explosive dunk off the pick and roll. He recognizes that he hasn’t found an offensive rhythm all season so his current role is to anchor the defense and to aggressively rebound.
Kuzmic was recalled to Golden State on Sunday. While Kuzmic probably benefits from practicing with and learning from an elite team like the Warriors, he needs to play more minutes in order to gain confidence and experience. With only 4.7 minutes per game — most coming in garbage time — Kuzmic won’t be able to get the opportunity to reach his full potential.
As of now, it appears he is struggling since he plays sporadically and splits his time between Golden State and Santa Cruz. If Kerr can find some way to slowly increase his minutes and implement him the way he has with Justin Holiday, Kuzmic may eventually be a reliable option for Golden State.
With some consistent playing time, Kuzmic could develop into a serviceable center for any team in the league.