Molding Smailagic into floor-spacing big man
It could be easy to confuse Alen Smailagic’s goofy grin, broken English and doe- eyed demeanor as marks of a bashful 20-year-old who is just happy to be here. But make no mistake, give Smailagic a goal and his competitive streak reveals itself, and his grin fades to a grimace.
This is what Golden State Warriors player development coach Seth Cooper discovered when working with Smailagic last season. So when workouts were limited this offseason to a single player and coach working one- on-one because of the coronavirus, Cooper challenged Smailagic to make as many 3-pointers as he could in five minutes.
Cooper had picked up the drill rebounding for Steve Novak as a video coordinator with the Clippers 10 years ago. When Smailagic was informed that Novak — owner of the ninth-best career 3-point percentage in NBA history — used to make 50 3-pointers in four minutes before every game, he committed to completing the drill nearly every day.
“Because he’s very competitive, he gets more excited to do things where there’s a goal and a specific number to target,” Cooper said. Although it’s unlikely Smailagic will reach Novak’s proficiency, the Warriors hope he can blossom into one of the
league’s best floor-spacing big men.
In addition to going through a battery of shooting drills, Smailagic was shown film of players the Warriors think he could emulate such as Davis Bertans, Ersan Ilyasova and Moritz Wagner.
Of that group, Bertans suggests the highest ceiling. After coming off the bench for three years in San Antonio, Bertans averaged 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and made 42.4% of his 3-point shots with 8.7 attempts per game last season in Washington. Last month, Bertans, 28, signed a five-year, $80 million contract extension with the Wizards.
However, Smailagic, who made only three of his 13 3-point attempts last season, has a long way to go before earning consistent minutes for the Warriors. The No. 39 pick in the 2019 draft, Smailagic is only three years removed from playing in a semiprofessional league in Serbia. He spent most of the last two seasons playing for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz and, in his brief stints with Golden State, seemed overwhelmed by NBA competition.
For example, during a game against the Houston Rockets in February, Smailagic posted up a smaller wing in Thabo Sefolosha, took two left-handed dribbles and spun to no avail, then attempted a pass to Ky Bowman that missed by six feet and sailed out of bounds. Plays like this clouded Smailagic’s rookie year, which was delayed because of an ankle injury he suffered in training camp.
Now, Smailagic is healthy and enters this season on the fringe of Golden State’s roster. As the Warriors continue to preach patience for a player as old as many rookies this season, he’s a safe bet to make the team. But the final two years of Smailagic’s contract are not guaranteed after this season, and he’ll need to show significant improvement to stick around long-term.
Keeping things simple will be important for Smailagic early on, and developing a consistent 3-point shot will open lanes for drives to the rim and easy passes.
“He has to have a picture in his mind of how he can fit in the NBA, and I think that’s as a pick- and-pop shooter, offensively,” head coach Steve Kerr said.
After the pandemicshortened season, Smailagic flew home to Serbia in June, where he trained alone. Cooper would send him film from his rookie season and of other players, then quiz him periodically on personnel and different actions from across the league.
When Smailagic returned to the Bay Area in August, he and Cooper reunited for sanctioned individual workouts at Chase Center. Like he did for Novak a decade ago, Cooper rebounded for Smailagic during the five-minute drill.
At first, the goal was to make 50 3-pointers in a five-minute span. Smailagic made 30. With weeks of work, Smailagic improved, eventually reaching the 50 mark and setting a high score of 60 3-pointers in five minutes, or 12 makes per minute — close to Novak’s 12.5 makes per minute average.
“He’s getting a lot better and a lot more comfortable,” Cooper said. “And we’ll continue to work on it every day.”