Andris Biedrins

After two disappointing seasons, Biedrins saw his playing time drop to just 15.7 minutes per game and his per-36-minute numbers were by far the worst of his career. His play suggests someone who has lost confidence in his game. He can still be effective as a shot-blocker, but he inexplicably appears to have lost all sense as a rebounder. He’s been such a liability on the offensive end that if he can’t rebound, his usefulness to the Warriors is nil. We suspect Carl Landry will further eat into Biedrins’ playing time this season.

Biedrins enters the fourth year of a six-year contract and hasn’t returned much on the Warriors’ investment. His confidence has been lower than his free-throw shooting (25 percent over the last two seasons), and he can’t stay on the floor (3.4 fouls per game for career). The Warriors did all they could to land a big man in the offseason but eventually had to settle for Kwame Brown, only slightly less of an enigma than Biedrins. New coach Mark Jackson is saying all the right things, and the franchise showed its support by not making Biedrins its amnesty cut. Confidence is the key here. If he gets rolling early, Biedrins can be an active rebounder/shot blocker, who can make a difference in those categories.

Biedrins' numbers took a massive hit last season, as he only averaged 5.0 points, 7.9 rebounds (he grabbed 11.2 rpg the year before) and 1.3 blocks. Astonishingly, he shot just 16.0 percent from the free throw line (though he only averaged 0.8 attempts per game). He's shot just 51.9 percent from the line during his career, and you won't find an uglier technique in the league. Perpetually in coach Don Nelson's doghouse, Biedrins' season came to an end after just 33 games played last year when he underwent abdominal surgery. He's expected to enter 2010-11 fully healthy, and though it will already mark his seventh year in the league, remember he's still just 24 years old. While Biedrins' athletic skills sure seem like a perfect fit for Golden State's offensive system, he's been rumored to be on the trading block all offseason. Wherever he ends up playing, if Biedrins goes back to playing 30 minutes a game, he'll be primed for a major bounce back. Don't forget about him.

Despite being one of only five players to average over 11 points and rebounds in the league, Biedrins continues to be one of the most undervalued centers in the Association. The 23-year-old Latvian staved off constant foul trouble and erratic lineup changes from coach Don Nelson to cement himself in the Warriors starting five last season. He brings an unpolished game to the offensive end of the court, relying mostly on grabbing errant shots for put-backs. But that type of mop-up role melds well with the Warriors’ high-octane, free-slinging system. His reliance on offensive boards as a source of points helps Biedrins post one of the best shooting percentages in the league – over 60-percent for his career. Unfortunately that success doesn’t carry over to the free-throw line, where Biedrins struggles at a 53.2-percent career mark. His defense is well rounded, though. Last season, Biedrins averaged 1.7 blocks and one steal per game. The aggressiveness Biedrins displays on defense often leads to foul trouble, limiting him to just north of 30 mpg during the 2008-09 season. He’s still young enough to develop a more refined low-post arsenal, and with the Warriors lack of depth in the frontcourt, Biedrins should see an increase in playing time if he can limit his fouls.

Despite seeing inconsistent playing time and reduced minutes (27.3 mpg), Biedrins improved his scoring (10.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg) to career-best marks while shooting an NBA-leading 62.4 percent from the field. Biedrins uses his athleticism and hustle to clean up the glass and protect the rim (1.2 bpg), but he’s not very polished with offensive post moves, and he scores almost entirely off of put-backs. Biedrins is also not a great passer (1.0 apg), but he did improve upon the most glaring weakness in his game, free-throw shooting, pushing it from a 52 to 62 percent. Entering his fifth NBA season, Biedrins is still only 22, with the potential to improve at both ends of the court.

Biedrins was one of the breakout roto producers of the first half of last season (10.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.94 bpg, 61% FG pre All-Star game) before physical wear and a slightly lesser role after the big Pacers trade slowed him down the stretch. This year, Biedrins should be more physically and mentally prepared for the grind of playing big minutes at the NBA level. Only 21 years of age, he’s entering his fourth NBA season with upside for improvement at both ends of the court. The only glaring weakness in Biedrins’ game is his historically bad free-throw shooting; his 52.1% last season marked a career-best. Thankfully, he does not go to the line often (2.0 FT/game last season) which helps minimize this damage. He is a little-known player that could yield big dividends to teams that get him in the early/middle rounds.

Biedrins will be part of the Warriors center rotation this year, but with Don Nelson at the helm, will have to improve his free throw shooting (30.6% LY) if he expects to see much time. He can rebound (7.4 rpg last April) and will be primarily used as a defensive specialist when the Warriors play teams with legitimate centers.

The 11th pick in the 2004 draft, the 6-11, 240 pounds Biedrins will be the primary backup to Adonal Foyle at center. He only averaged 3.6 points and 3.9 boards last year but Foyle's inconsistent play and constant foul trouble should give him plenty of opportunities to earn minutes this year. Since the Warriors will most likely employ a center by committee philosophy, Biedrins won't see enough playing time to warrant fantasy consideration.

The Warriors picked the 19-year-old Biedrins with the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft. He still needs to develop his offensive game, but is a good athlete and an active rebounder. He played well at the Long Beach Summer League, averaging 11.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg, but is considered at least a year away. Long term, the team hasn’t yet extended starting power forward Troy Murphy’s rookie contract, and may wait on that pending Biedrins’ development.

Biedrins will not be a large factor to begin the season, but projects to be a four. Troy Murphy will be the starter with Clifford Robinson and Eduardo Najera claiming the backup minutes. And that will be fine with general manager Chris Mullin, who developed a relationship with Biedrins prior to drafting him. He's at least a year away.