“For him to be able to come out and play in a summer league game like today with good composure and playing at the rim, blocking some shots, he just looked like a really good basketball player,” Warriors summer league coach Jama Mahlalela said. “That first outing is all we wanted, and we told him to come out, have fun, enjoy the game and let it come to him.”
Jama Mahlalela Rumors
Kendra Andrews: Summer League note: G League Santa Cruz Warriors coach Seth Cooper will be the head coach at the California Classic. Warriors assistant coach and director of player development Jama Mahlalela will be the head coach in Las Vegas.
The Warriors hired Kenny Atkinson, Jama Mahlalela and Dejan Milojević this summer. All three have strong player-development backgrounds. “Maybe we get lucky and some guy emerges right away,” Lacob said. “But maybe it’s in Year 2. Look at Poole (late last season). Kobe Bryant didn’t emerge until Year 3. If you go back and look at history, that’s the way it’s been. Your expectation has to be generally that it’s Year 2 or 3. I’m OK with that. Maybe some of our fans aren’t. But I think they don’t understand our payroll limitations. We can’t add another star without losing one of our stars. And I like our stars. So this is the next-best thing to do, the way we’re approaching this.”
Monte Poole: League sources: Former Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela not only has been hired by Warriors (as reported by @Shams Charania and @Anthony Slater) but already is on the job.
In addition to Atkinson, the Warriors are also hiring Dejan Milojević and Jama Mahlalela, sources told The Athletic.
