When the Golden State Warriors selected a 19-year old, 6-foot-9 forward out of Serbia with the 39th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft— there was an immediate level of buzz surrounding the name, Alen Smailagic.
Smailagic at only 18 years of age, was drafted with the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NBA G League draft and was so impressive playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors, that Bob Myers, Golden State’s general manager traded two future second-round picks and cash to acquire the rights to the Serbian teenager.
Now, after almost a month into the 2019 regular season, Smailagic will join the Warriors bench against the New York Knicks.
Smailagic suffered an ankle injury during the first week of training camp that put his debut on hold. Smailagic’s injury bled deep into the start of Golden State’s season, hampering his rookie year.
Once healthy, the Warriors decided to assign Smailagic back to the G League in Santa Cruz to further develop and regain his conditioning. After six appearances and four starts in Santa Cruz, the Warriors are bringing the Serbian back to the NBA club.
Smailagic averaged 12.0 points per game with 5.5 rebounds in 21.8 minutes in his six games in the G League. Smailigic shot 47.4 percent from the field and made eight three-pointers on 24 attempts.
It’s still a bit of a mystery with how Smailagic will fit into Steve Kerr’s rotation, but his athleticism and size give the Warriors lineup a burst of excitement.
The Serbian is still raw and inexperienced, so expect Golden State to be patient with their 19-year old prospect in a developmental season. Smailagic will be up with the Warriors against the Knicks at Chase Center, but they hit the road for two of their next three games. It wouldn’t be out of the question for Smailagic to go back down to Santa Cruz for more playing time while the team travels on the road.
