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LAS VEGAS – With one awkward leap and one powerful slam, Alen Smailagić prompted several reactions.

His summer-league teammates jumped out of their seats. Afterwards, some of them gushed about Smailagić’s trajectory after the Warriors selected him at No. 39 and groomed him the past year with their G-League team. And Warriors summer–league coach Aaron Miles conveyed excitement about Smailagić’s potential, while stressing patience about the 18-year-old’s development after only playing previously in Serbia.

Days later, Smailagic smiled as he recalled a moment that sparked instant Summer-League buzz. He then sounded sheepish because his dunk also indirectly revealed his limitations.

“I got mad because I can’t shoot my shots. I realized I can only score if I go to the rim,” Smailagić said with a hint of humor and self deprecation. “I didn’t realize I was going to dunk over a player.”

That has set up an interesting paradox. Amid their quest to emulate the San Antonio Spurs’ sustained excellence, the Warriors invested and then drafted an international player that has impressed them with his willingness and ability to learn both the game and the English language quickly. Yet, the Warriors also anticipate Smailagić progressing in the same manner in which he speaks English — at a deliberate pace.

“It is healthy not to have too strong of expectations going in,” said Kent Lacob, the general manager of the Warriors’ G-League team. “We’ll see how things play out.”

The Warriors cannot help, though, but already feel encouraged with how things have played out so far. A year after playing in Serbia’s U-19 league, Smailagić joined the Warriors’ G-League team after they acquired the fourth pick from the South Bay Lakers. Then, Smailagić averaged 9.1 points and 4.08 rebounds in 17.4 minutes. The Warriors then traded two second-round picks and cash to New Orleans for the No. 39 pick to ensure landing Smailagić, who then became only the third international player to get drafted into the NBA after playing in the G-League.

In Summer League? Smailagić has plenty of work to do. Still, he has impressed the Warriors coaches and teammates with his defense and rebounding (5.9 per game). They remain patient with his shooting (7.75 points on 33.9 percent shooting) and decision making. They became mesmerized with his dunks.

“The kid is talented. He’s very talented,” Miles said. “But I don’t think we should expect anybody on our team should get 30 [points] or try to get 30.”

The Warriors seem fine with Smailagić throwing down some dunks, though. The most memorable one happened in the Warriors’ summer-league debut against the Kings in Sacramento on Monday. Then, Smailagić caught the ball at the top of the key. He dribbled right past Kings center Caleb Swanigan. After meeting a near double team, Smailagić leaped over Swanigan and threw down a one-handed dunk over him. Afterwards, Warriors rookie forward Eric Paschal shared a lofty prediction as powerful as Smailagić’s dunk.

“He’s going to be a player,” Paschall said. “People forget he’s only 18 years old. But that kid is going to be special in a few years. I definitely believe so.”

The Warriors did not draft Smailagić to fill highlight reels, though. They selected him because they believe he can be an elite center that can eventually defend, rebound, run an offense, dominate in the post and shoot from 3. Basically, the Warriors believe they have a young center that can eventually have no weaknesses.

“He can do a little bit of everything. He can shoot, pass and dribble,” Warriors second-year guard Jacob Evans said. “He can do a lot. He’s tall. He fits in today’s NBA game. And I feel like he keeps getting better. That’s the exciting part about it.”

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How did the Warriors discover Smailagić?

So how did the Warriors find someone they believe can eventually become a gem? Chalk it up both to scouting and luck.

Lacob flew overseas in May, 2017 primarily to attend the Euro Camp in Treviso, Italy, which often features elite international prospects. To maximize their travel time, the Warriors often encourage their scouts and front office to make other side trips. So Lacob estimated that he and Warriors scout Kosta Jankov visited between six to seven other nearby countries for about two weeks before Euro Camp started. One of those countries was Serbia, where Smailagić had starred in the 2016 FIBA U-16 European Championship.

Lacob attended a private workout in Serbia to help a friend evaluate his son’s prospects to play for a Division I college. Lacob also attended the workout because the Warriors’ scouts had already became intrigued with Smailagić. So Lacob attended a workout just outside of Belgrade that he said entailed “a rinky dink gymnasium with tiled floor.” Lacob and Jankov then watched Smailagić the next day in the Serbian league playoffs.

At that point, Smailagić stood at 6-foot-6 and surprisingly played the point guard spot. Still, Lacob and Jankov became impressed enough with Smailagić’s playmaking and defense.

“There was definitely some intrigue and you could tell the kid can play,” Lacob said. “It’s hard when you see guys that early to know exactly what’s going to happen over the course of their development. But after seeing him the first time, I made sure to keep tabs on him.”

Then, the Warriors monitored Smailagić playing for Beko in Serbia’s third division as well as for his native’s U-19 league. There, Smailagić won league MVP by averaging 21.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.9 blocks.

That intrigued Lacob enough to return to Serbia to see Smailagic again a year later. Then, Lacob told Smailagić something about his potential that he admitted he did not realize.

“He told me I’m good enough to play, but he doesn’t know how good enough I am,” Smailagić said. “So he has to see me in the G-League and maybe in a few days in the NBA. I was surprised myself.”

Smailagić had not even considered the NBA as a realistic option. He had weighed an offer to play professionally for Real Madrid. When he spoke to his parents and his agent, though, Smailagić changed his mind quickly.

“They told me it was better to have less money,” Smailagić said, “than to have more money to sit on the bench.”

How Smailagić impressed the Warriors immediately



The Warriors may have traded the rights to Jermario Jones and a 2018 first-round pick to land the No. 4 slot to select Smailagić. Yet, the Warriors admitted they did not set lofty expectations for Smailagić.

“We didn’t have none,” Miles said, laughing.

Why would there be? Smailagić never visited the United States, let alone played professionally here. He had just turned 18. And he still needed to adapt to game’s faster pace here.

“I couldn’t say I was scared, but I was nervous,” Smailagić said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

Those thoughts quickly changed. The Warriors became pleasantly surprised that Smailagić experienced a recent growth spurt and stood at 6-foot-10, 215 pounds. They liked his intensity. And Smailagić estimated it only took him two games to stop feeling insecure. So much that Miles recalled telling others after Smailagić’s first practice, “That’s a first-round draft pick right there.”

“When I scored the first bucket, I said, ‘This is easy. This is just basketball,’” Smailagić said. “I was trying to show I’m not scared and I’m fearless. I can really attack the rim. I’m not scared of anyone.”

Smailagić did not even seem scared when Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins scrimmaged with the G-League team. He spent a full week in Santa Cruz in mid December to complete one of the final steps of his rehab process with his injured left Achilles tendon. Instead of helping Cousins with building rhythm and confidence, Smailagić tried to test him in hopes to measure himself against one of the NBA’s best centers.

“I wanted to see where I’m from so I can practice even more and maybe get even better,” Smailagić said about requesting the Cousins assignment. “It didn’t go pretty well. He’s stronger than me, but I gave my best.”

Sometimes, Smailagić’s best became good enough. On a few possessions, Smailagić boasted he either scored on Cousins or stopped him. Cousins still won the matchup. Yet, Smailagić made things difficult enough for Cousins to wonder what the hell this 18-year-old Serbian big is trying to do.

“Him and DeMarcus had a fun exchange of words,” Lacob recalled, laughing. “DeMarcus yelled at him and made a threat. That’s DeMarcus’ way of showing respect to someone because he acknowledged he was competing against him. That was cool to see him not back down from DeMarcus.”

Once his season with Santa Cruz ended, Smailagić averaged 9.1 points on 49.7 percent shooting and 4.0 rebounds. Those numbers might not be impressive, but Smailagić averaged only 17.4 minutes per game in only four starts.

That has prompted one question in NBA circles. Why didn’t the Warriors play him more? Were they simply hiding Smailagić in hopes other NBA talent evaluators would not receive enough exposure to him? Miles insisted, “I never had to hold Smiley back.”

After all, Smailagić still needed to adapt to the heavier workload stemmed from the NBA’s longer schedule and the game’s speed. The Warriors also wanted to allocate minutes to some of their regular-season players, including Evans, Damion Lee and Marcus Derrickson.

“If we wanted to hide him, I don’t think we did a very good job of doing that,” Lacob said. “I understand the frustration of not having as much access as we did to him with him being on our team and having him in practice every day. Sure, we definitely had more access to seeing him. But there were no rules preventing teams from flying out and seeing him. They could’ve come to any of our home games.”

How has Smailagic fit in a new country?

Nonetheless, the Warriors knew Smailagić enough to want to draft him. They showed some insecurity that others wanted to as well. So on the morning of the NBA draft, the Warriors gave $1.3 million and a 2024 second-round pick to Atlanta for the No. 41 selection. The Warriors worried another team would select Smailagić earlier. So during the draft, the Warriors dealt two future second-round picks (2021, 2023) and cash to New Orleans for the No. 39 pick.

“I was so happy I’m a part of this organization and that they care about me,” Smailagić said. “It really meant a lot to me.”

Smailagić found his coaches and teammates just as welcoming when he arrived here.

“People are much nicer here than in Serbia. Everyone is laughing. I like it here more than in Serbia,” Smailagić said. “They are nice, but not like here. In Serbia, I don’t see that many people laughing. They’re more mean. We practice hard here, but Serbian players don’t see the game as fun. It’s something that you have to do.”

That eased things for Smailagić, who admittedly said he “didn’t know how to say one word” of English upon arrival. Three months later? Smailagić said he felt comfortable listening and speaking English. Lacob lent Smailagic various American history books, both to improve his literacy and cultural understanding. Smailagić mimicked the slang words that his American teammates would say. Smailagić often greeted Miles by saying, “What’s up Coach?!” When Paschall addresses Smailagić as “Big Fella,” he often laughs.

“I started to understand and to speak to other guys and other people. It was good,” Smailagić said. “But when I had the ball, I didn’t know English. I didn’t want to have to pass.”

Smailagić said those words in a joking manner, showing he feels comfortable enough with the English language to show off his sense of humor. His teammates have appeared just as inviting. They have taken him to various American restaurants in Santa Cruz. On the Warriors’ latest trip, Smailagić tried sushi for the first time.

“It was great. I liked it,” Smailagić said. “It filled up my taste buds.”

Smailagić introduced his teammates to a handful Serbian restaurants during a trip to Los Angeles. Paschall overheard Smailagić playing Serbian rap music. Other than that, Evans observed that Smailagić is “trying to learn our culture more rather than trying to give more of his.” Smailagić often asks his coaches and teammates about certain English words or phrases. He expressed appreciation for how helpful and patient they are.

“He’s very limited on his English, but he has a big smile,” Paschall said. “You learn a lot from him everyday. It’s good he’s such a good teammate.”

What’s next For Smailagić?

Smailagić does not want to experience all of American culture. The Warriors will like hearing that Smailagić has no interest in fully enjoying Las Vegas. Smailagić is not of drinking age yet, but did not sound intrigued with enjoying a beverage, anyway, since it is common for Serbians to drink at any age. Smailagić said people can bet in Serbia at 15 years old, but said he “never wanted to gamble.”

Instead, Smailagić remained concerned about knocking off his rust and showcasing his worth for the remainder of Summer League.

“I’m going to show that a kid at 18 years old can play with other guys,” Smailagić said.

The Warriors will not be surprised hearing about Smailagić’s ambitions. Miles has often called Smailagić “coachable.” In a recent summer-league game, Smailagić looked engaged when Evans offered him tips on various pick-and-roll plays. When Smailagić nearly knocked into Paschall during a recent game, his teammate showed patience.

At other times, the Warriors have seen glimpses on why they think he will be special. Miles has marveled at Smailagić’s consistent rebounding. His teammates have praised his aggressiveness. Of course, they all have become entertained with his dunks.

“He’s a smart enough kid to recognize there are lot of things he needs to improve on with his body, athleticism and strength. But it doesn’t prevent him from trying,” Lacob said. “It doesn’t prevent him from going at people. That is something that is really admirable, especially in a competitive sports environment. You want those guys that are going to go hunt, as opposed to backing down and being the hunted.”

Such feedback only makes Smailagić further determined that he belongs in the NBA. That might not happen right away. Lacob said the Warriors had not yet decided if Smailagić will primarily play with the Warriors or in Santa Cruz because it depends on the team’s final roster makeup, how training camp plays out and how Smailagić plays.

Even if the Warriors have pleaded patience about Smailagić’s development, however, they cannot help but feel excited about his trajectory. No wonder Smailagić’s teammates emptied the bench after his first summer-league dunk.

“It means a lot to me,” Smailagić said. “If they believe in me, why shouldn’t I believe in me?”

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