Gonzaga Basketball: Is Filip Petrusev the next great Bulldog big man?

Gonzaga Basketball has strong track record of producing quality big men. Is sophomore Filip Petrusev the next in line?

Kelly Olynk, Przemek Karnowksi, Kyle Wiltjer, Domantas Sabonis and Brandon Clarke…a lot of talented big men have contributed to Gonzaga Basketball basketball over the last decade. Head coach Mark Few surely still puts in the time to recruit talented frontcourt players, but with the program’s track record of development and production, one would think these recruits would just flock to him.

(Credit to KenPom, sports-reference and hoop-math for statistics and ESPN for GIFS)

Flip Petrusev

Sophomore forward Filip Petrusev could very well be the next Gonzaga big man that goes on to have a stellar college career. Like many past Bulldogs, the 6-11 Petrusev is an international player, having been born in Belgrade, Serbia.

Although he was a 4-star recruit ranked 56th overall by ESPN, Petrusev only played 11.4 minutes per game last season. This probably said less about his ability to contribute right away, and more about the veteran talent the team already had at the forward position, including Brandon Clarke, Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura.

Tillie is the one member of the trio returning this season, but he’s only seen one game of action thus far due to a knee injury he’s been dealing with (returned Tuesday against UT Arlington). Even with Killie returning, however, Petrusev will still see major minutes. Gonzaga’s early starting lineup has been Ryan Woolridge (point guard), Admon Gilder (shooting guard), Corey Kispert (small forward), Anton Watson (power forward) and Petrusev (center), and Tillie stepped in for Watson in his first game back.

Number One Option

Through five games, Petrusev has been the team’s number one option offensively per usage rate, averaging 16.6 points per game on 62.0% shooting and adding 8.0 rebounds.

He has impressive footwork in the post and can finish with touch around the basket with both hands. 62.0% of his field-goal attempts have come at the rim per hoop-math, and he’s made 71.0% of them. If one squints a little, some of Petrusev’s smooth low post game is reminiscent of the likes of Sabonis and Karnowski.

Although Petrusev projects as a capable jump shooter down the road (85.3% free throw percentage, 9-30 (30.0%) from three last season), the sophomore has spent most of his time near the rim thus far (0-5 from three). He’s also been creating a lot more offense for himself this season. Only 45.5% of the forward’s “at the rim” field goals have been assisted, compared to 75.0% in 2018-19.

If the sophomore continues to be the team’s go-to option, he’ll likely have to contribute more as a distributor/playmaker, especially as defenses send help and occasional double teams. His assist-turnover ratio (averaging 1.2 assists, 1.8 turnovers) will need to improve a bit, but the Serbian has shown flashes of solid passing and decision-making. This well-rounded skill set is part of what has made past Gonzaga big men so successful.

On the defensive end, it’s too early to tell whether Petrusev can be a solid interior anchor, but he has shown some positive signs thus far, recording eight blocks through five games. Even if he’s not yet fully up to the task, Tillie’s return should take a lot of the pressure off him on this end of the floor.

Title Contender?

The question for Mark Few and Gonzaga is whether the Bulldogs can be a championship contender with Petrusev as the offense’s number one option.

Tillie took 11 shots in his first game back versus six for Petrusev, so it’s very possible he slides into the “go-to” role. But although he might be better suited to this than Petrusev, could Tillie really be a number one option on a championship-caliber team? It’s not clear he’s the answer either.

Perhaps Gonzaga can get by with having a well-rounded offensive attack where a different player leads the team in scoring each night. Junior wing Corey Kispert has already done so in two games, and the Ryan Woolridge/Admon Gilder backcourt is capable of scoring spurts as well. For the doubters, however, the lack of “the guy” could be a concern that follows the team all season. It shouldn’t prevent the Bulldogs from winning the WCC Conference, but if a national title is the goal, it’s a factor that is worth monitoring.

Overall, Petrusev has been really impressive to start the season. His role will likely get scaled back a bit with Tillie’s return, but it’s possible he still ends up the team’s number one option offensively. Whether he (or whoever the go-to option is) is up to the task could dictate the trajectory of Gonzaga’s season.