Former Gonzaga star Filip Petrusev signs NBA contract with 76ers

Three years after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, Filip Petrusev has signed his first NBA contract with the team that picked him 50th overall in the 2021 draft.

On Monday, the Sixers announced they signed the draft-and-stash prospect out of Gonzaga to a reported two-year deal that has a 50% guarantee in year one.

The 6-foot-11 Serbian averaged 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in five NBA Summer League outings.

“I’m just feeling more confident, I know what to expect and I came more prepared compared to last year and the year before,” Petrusev told The Spokesman-Review. “I was not in as good shape as I am right now. I think it’s noticeable and that’s why I think I’m doing better this year.”

Petrusev was selected in the second round back in 2021 after playing with KK Mega Basket in the Adriatic Basketball Association in his native Serbia. That season, he was league MVP after averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. The following season, he played in 72 games for Serbian club Crvena zvezda, averaging 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds and shooting 57.3%.

At Gonzaga, Petrusev was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2019-20, leading the conference in field goal percentage (56.2%), free-throw attempts (238) and player efficiency rating (30.5).

While Philadelphia has a plethora of bigs on the roster, including 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse alluded to the team retaining Petrusev for the regular season while on Tyrese Maxey’s podcast last week.