Lachlan Olbrich has made a career out of seeing the floor a beat ahead of everyone else, and that skill has fit neatly into the Warriors’ summer league setup in Las Vegas.
The 22-year-old Australian center isn’t just looking to score when he catches the ball at the high post. He wants to read the defense, move it along and keep the action flowing. That part of his game, he said, is exactly why Golden State appealed to him.
“They really value skilled bigs and they implement them in their offenses, so I get touches in the action and make reads, which is one of my strong suits,” Olbrich said.
For Olbrich, the fit has come at a moment when his career has already taken a sharp turn. The Bulls drafted him in the second round in 2025, but after one season he was cut loose this offseason as new vice president of basketball Bryson Graham reshaped the roster. Graham’s predecessor, Artūras Karnišovas, had been the one to bring Olbrich in.
Olbrich’s time in Chicago was brief, and the numbers were modest: 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds across 37 games as a two-way player. Still, he had flashes, including a triple-double in April. Even so, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the picture.
“I was almost expecting it just because of the management change,” Olbrich told the Bay Area News Group. “At the end of the day, it’s a business.”
He did, however, come away with an appreciation for the city itself.
“Living in a high-rise, having a really cool sunset view of the city skyline, all of that was pretty cool,” Olbrich said.
Golden State gave him another chance, and the role they had in mind was easy for him to understand. The Warriors see him as a connector, the kind of big man who can keep the ball moving and cover ground on defense. Olbrich pointed to Draymond Green as the model.
“Being the ultimate glue guy, connector guy, kind of what Draymond Green does with Golden State,” Olbrich said. “I’m just trying to be better in those areas, being able to defend all five positions is what I’m trying to get to, and just getting the ball from side to side.”
His defensive game is still a work in progress, though he said years of playing volleyball as a kid helped him learn how to challenge shots vertically without fouling. Offensively, he’s already showing more polish. Through five summer league games, he has averaged 12.8 points per game.
Summer league coach Khalid Robinson sees the value right away.
“He gives us playmaking at the five, he’s a tougher rebounder and he’s like a quarterback behind the play with his communication with other defenders,” Robinson said.
A regular-season rotation spot with the Warriors remains a long shot, but Olbrich looks like a strong candidate for Santa Cruz and the G League path inside the Golden State system. That could matter even more with older frontcourt pieces such as Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and presumably Green, who is expected to re-sign as a free agent.
For Olbrich, the goal is simple: stay in the league and keep proving he can help.
“I want to show that I belong, and (I’m) trying to get that second contract and stay in the league as long as I can because I feel like I belong,” Olbrich said. “I’m just trying to prove to everyone else that I belong.”
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