Warriors strike gold with Toohey

Golden State is all in on Alex Toohey, celebrating the arrival of the NBL Next Star with glowing reviews after the draft.

The Warriors selected the 21-year-old with the 52nd pick, making him one of three NBL players to have their names called on draft night.

"The thing that intrigued us was his size, his IQ, and the way he plays the game,” Warriors Assistant General Manager Larry Harris said.

"His experience in the NBL has prepared him well for the NBA level.

"We believe his maturity and unselfish play make him a great fit for our system.

“The way he’s going to fit down the road with us is exactly how Steve (Kerr) and our system works.”

"I think he’s just a really coachable player,” General Manager Mike Dunleavy continued.

“He knows how to play on both ends. You see that in his block and steal numbers. Offensively, you see it in the way he moves, he cuts, he's really good in transition. Just does a lot of things.

"I think he’s like a forward. With our system and the way we play, he has the versatility to play multiple positions. Especially on the defensive end, he’s super versatile and creates a lot of plays, which is important for our defence.

"Alex was in [for a pre-draft workout] a little bit further back, maybe a month or so ago. We got to spend time with him on the court working out, in the film room, those types of things. We did all the intel and research, talked to coaches and people who knew him. We feel pretty good about who he is as a player and person."

Dunleavy was full of praise for the development pathway the NBL provides.

"It's a good league," Dunleavy said. "It's a mature league, you get physical adult play. You feel like if a young player can play in that league, a lot of things are going to translate to the NBA,” he said.

Toohey joins ex-Taipan Taran Armstrong at Golden State, with Rocco Zikarsky off to Minnesota, Lachlan Olbrich bound for Chicago, and Izan Almansa reportedly signing in Philadelphia.

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