How Omari Spellman’s fresh start with the Warriors rescued his career

Golden State Warriors center Omari Spellman has emerged as a long-term piece.

SAN FRANCISCO — Right arm outstretched, Omari Spellman proudly held the pose as the ball swished through the net.

As a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks a year ago, Spellman hesitated to be anything more than a stand-still shooter. Through work, he feels now he can do more. Making his second start at center this season in the Warriors’ Jan. 12 loss to the Grizzlies, Spellman back-peddled to the corner, called for the ball and scored the first three points of the game.

After one frustrating season in Atlanta that made him question whether or not he belonged in the NBA, Spellman has found a nurturing environment in Golden State that has helped him rediscover his confidence.

Down 55 pounds from when the Warriors acquired him last summer, Spellman, 22, is posting career-highs in points, rebounds and shooting percentages. Having emerged as a floor-spacing big apt to crash the offensive glass and deliver highlight-worthy dunks, Spellman’s third-year option was exercised in October.

“All you have to do is look at him, physically, to see where he’s come from starting training camp to now. He looks like a different human being,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m really proud of him. He’s earned some minutes going forward for sure.”

After drafting him 30th overall in 2018, the Hawks had hoped to get a player who could space the floor and guard multiple positions. Instead, Spellman struggled with the adversity that often meets a first-year pro. By midseason, he gained 40 pounds, and lost minutes and the trust of Atlanta’s organization.

In July, the Hawks traded him to the Warriors for center Damian Jones and a 2026 second-round pick. Spellman, a five-star recruit who won a national title in one season at Villanova, wondered if he had peaked in college.

“At first I was like ‘Bro, you’re just a salary cap trade,’” Spellman said of when he was dealt. “And then I was like, ‘Why do you think like that?’”

With Golden State, Spellman overhauled his diet, eliminating guilty pleasures like pizza and chicken wings, and rededicated himself to his craft. He works closely with player development coach Aaron Miles, who helped him channel his emotions into better work habits.

After games early in the season, Miles would text Spellman video clips of missed scoring opportunities like taking an open jumper or posting up a smaller player. “You’re leaving food on the table,” Miles would say. In the last 11 games, Spellman is averaging 11.1 points on 47.6% shooting, including 48.7% from 3-point range.

“Being in a great mental space is important when you’re playing the game,” Miles said. “A lot of these guys already have the skillset. There’s some things you can tweak and fine tune and whatever, but a majority of this game is mental — mindset and approach to the game.

“Once you develop that, that’s when the skillset is able to take over. I think he’s making that stride.”

Spellman looks back on his year in Atlanta and realizes his behavior almost ended his NBA career. He admits now he was in a rut. He saw counselors, nutritionists and therapists but to no avail. He struggled to develop the discipline necessary to get in shape or ward off outside criticism from social media.

With the help of his coaches and renewed urgency, he slimmed down. In a matter of three months, he’s gone from wearing a size XXL jersey to a large, and looks forward to how he can complement a team with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson next season.

“I’m blessed to survive,” Spellman said. “I was in a situation that could have easily ended me. I’m glad I survived.”

When he’s not in the gym sweating through shooting shirts, Spellman is sometimes at his local dog park, walking his two Staffordshire Terriers. When he first moved to San Francisco, other park goers didn’t recognize him.

That has since changed. Every once in a while, an excited fan will approach him and ask if he’s Omari Spellman, of the Warriors.

“I’ll be like ‘Yeah, bro, what’s up? How you living?’”