Rio 2016: Team USA faces former Warrior Nemanja Nedovic and Serbia

There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of years about the Golden State Warriors’ success in the NBA draft in recent years focused on guys like Stephen Curry, Festus Ezeli. Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson as well as guys like Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw who have yet to prove themselves one way or the other but were almost immediately recognized as value picks.

But the Warriors’ draft record hasn’t been perfect — there was also that one time when they drafted Nemanja Nedovic in the first round in 2013.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

On draft night, the acquisition of Nedovic through a flurry of draft night trades into the draft and then down to the 30th pick where they selected the 6-foot-3 Serbian seemed to epitomize the front office’s aggression and skill in pursuing talent through the draft. But he missed his first summer league due to injury and then it was just downhill from there. So after playing just 24 games in his rookie year — in addition to getting some run in Santa Cruz — Nedovic simply left the NBA in search of more playing time in Spain.

I’d say it’s a safe bet that most Warriors fans didn’t even know who Nedovic was when he was drafted and he was so insignificant during their ascent to contention that there are probably a fair number of relatively recent fans who have no idea he ever sat on the bench and did alright in Santa Cruz.

Today, Nedovic will face his former Warriors teammates Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson when his Serbian team takes on Team USA in Rio at the 2016 Olympics. Serbia has lost two straight to Australia and France, but were within two possessions of Australia for much of the fourth quarter and lost by just one point to France. So don’t let their record fool you — they could definitely pose a challenge.

This is you thread for the game — I assume you know what to do.

Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: NBC Sports Network

Streaming: NBC Sports Live