Golden State Warriors: What can we expect from Alen Smailagic in year one?

The Golden State Warriors replaced the majority of their depth in the offseason. Can rookie second-round pick Alen Smailagic be counted on this season?

The Golden State Warriors saw a ton of overhaul with their roster this offseason. And contrary to recent seasons, the team will be counting on their rookies to step up and immediately replicate some of the team’s bench production from a year ago.

Most of the focus has been on first-round guard Jordan Poole who could serve as one of the top wings off the bench. There’s also been a good amount of attention thrown Eric Paschall‘s way as the second-round power forward could become the perfect backup to Draymond Green.

However, one of the Golden State Warriors three draft picks seems to have been forgotten.

Perhaps it’s because he didn’t take a prototypical route to the NBA or perhaps it’s because many don’t expect him to do much in his rookie season, but 18-year-old big man Alen Smailagic has seemingly been overlooked.

One could argue that this is fair, however.

After all, both Poole and Paschall are expected to contribute in year one while Smailagic has always been viewed as a long-term project. Very few expect Smailagic to do much of anything this upcoming season.

But the Warriors could have other plans in mind.

Golden State surprisingly signed Smailagic to a regular four-year contract — not a two-way deal as most had anticipated. The two-way deal would have limited Smailagic to just 45 days up with the big-league club but would have given the team another roster spot to play with.

But instead, the Warriors clearly felt highly enough of Smailagic to give him a normal contract. That should bode well for his chances to contribute in his rookie season.

Smailagic spent all of last season down with the Santa Cruz Warriors where he made history as the youngest player in the history of the G-League. The 18-year-old played primarily coming off the bench and averaged 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.

Not outstanding numbers, but the potential is clearly there.

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The towering Serbian is extremely athletic for a big man and moves very well with the ball in his hands for a player of his size. He has rim-runner potential and while his outside shot is still a work in progress, there’s potential there.

He clearly needs to get stronger and fill out his frame so that he doesn’t get bullied down low while fighting for rebounds. But still, it’s very easy to see what the Warriors see in him.

However, his overall defensive game is going to have to improve immensely if he is to see any meaningful minutes this upcoming season.

Too often Smailagic is out of position on defense but a lot of that should improve with experience and playing time. The same should go for his ball security and outside shot which should see improvements over time.

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Smailagic will still be eligible for the G-League and that’s probably where he should spend most of his time this season. But if the Warriors see some injuries to their big men, Smailagic could be thrust into action sooner than expected.

It wouldn’t be wise to expect too much contribution from Smailagic in his rookie season, but the Warriors surprised us in the past with the contract they gave their second-round pick.

Perhaps they surprise us again and give Smailagic meaningful minutes this season. Either way, his development should be something to keep a keen eye on.