On Thursday morning, the Warriors acquired the No. 41 overall pick in the NBA Draft in a trade with Atlanta.
When New Orleans was on the clock at No. 39, the Dubs couldn't wait two more selections. So they traded up with the Pelicans and selected Serbian big man Alen Smailagic.
The 18-year-old played for Golden State's G League affiliate in Santa Cruz last season, so some Warriors fans might be familiar with his game.
But if you've never seen Smailagic in action, check out these clips from a March 22 game against the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario:
Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic puts the ball on the deck, spins back and finishes off the glass pic.twitter.com/IYQdu4OLEt— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
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Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic drills the pick-and-pop 3-pointer pic.twitter.com/78XbIaaZWm— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic gets cut off on the drive, goes through the legs and then finishes with his left hand off the glass (he's very skilled and only 18 years old) pic.twitter.com/Q7qT2lOADL— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic gets the rebound, dribbles the ball down the floor himself and scores after attacking his defender 1-on-1 pic.twitter.com/IL2TpEzHne— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic shows off his handle by getting the steal and going coast to coast through traffic pic.twitter.com/EbqKGTvIFq— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
Warriors draft pick Alen Smailagic cuts off the ball and throws down the two-handed hammer pic.twitter.com/xidgWk6CrP— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 21, 2019
He racked up 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and went 2-for-4 from 3-point range in the Sea Dubs' 113-109 win that night.
Smailagic -- the youngest player in G League history -- is far from a finished product. He might spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz next season.
But he truly loves the game, has a strong desire to get better and believes he's the best player on the floor at all times.
"Smiley" has a chance to be solid rotation player for years to come. As ESPN's NBA Draft analyst and reporter, Jonathan Givony, wrote in December:
Standing 6-foot-10 with a fairly developed but not well-defined frame, Smailagic is one of the more skilled offensive big men you'll find in the league. He has excellent form on his jump shot, handles the ball with excellent body control and displays polished footwork and touch around the basket.
He attacks closeouts with pace and force, brings an array of floaters and finishing moves and shows intriguing passing ability, having quite a bit of freedom to make plays from the perimeter in Santa Cruz's offense.
He plays with extreme confidence, unafraid to throw his body around against players significantly older and more experienced than he is.
You will get a chance to see Smailagic in action during Summer League in Sacramento and Las Vegas.
