Golden State Warriors: Ranking every member of the team’s bench
10. Alen Smailagic
It’s a shame that Alen Smailagic has to be ranked so low on this list, but the reality is that we might not end up seeing a whole lot of him throughout this season.
One of the handful of interesting rookies that Warriors fans expected to see this season is currently out “for the foreseeable future” with an ankle sprain.
While a timetable hasn’t been confirmed, the signing of Marquese Chriss has to be some sort of indication that he isn’t expected back anytime soon.
The young power forward is only 19-years-old and has a very raw skillset but has shown promise in the Summer League as well as in his first year in the G-League last season. Over the summer, Smailagic put up 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a game.
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He’s a high-energy guy who could probably split time between power forward and center. He’s the type of big who can run the floor on the fast break and cap it off with a thunderous dunk. His ball-handling is impressive for a guy his size, and he’s only getting better.
The Golden State Warriors clearly liked what they saw in Smailagic last season, where he became the youngest player to ever play in the G-League.
Smailagic was drafted 39th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, but quickly traded for future draft picks. On July 11, the Warriors and Smailagic came to terms on a multi-year deal.
It almost goes without saying that a guy like Smailagic has a pretty high ceiling, and the business-savvy front office in Golden State knows that it’s better to buy early while they still can.
Listed at 6-foot-10, there’s still time for Smailagic to grow and continue becoming a physical force to go along with his impressive ability to finish. He’s shown an ability to improve, showing some shooting touch from the outside.
He’s a consistent player who’s biggest question marks will be his injuries so far this year and his ability to stay on the floor thanks to foul trouble.
But if he is able to continue being out there, he should be a fun player to watch, putting together a highlight reel of dunks both off of the fast break and off of spacing that comes from other outside shooters.