Golden Opportunity: Toohey's NBA introduction

• Alex Toohey is settling into life as a Golden State Warriors, inspired by advice from Australian NBA legends.
• His rookie goals include improving conditioning, shooting, and learning from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
• Toohey hopes to use his NBA platform to advocate for more basketball facilities in his hometown of Canberra.

When Alex Toohey heard his name called on draft night, he wasn't sitting in the green room with cameras trained on his reaction.

Instead, the Canberra native was in Los Angeles with his agent and fellow draftee Lachie Olbrich, waiting for the phone to ring.

"Draft night was definitely a crazy experience," Toohey explains to ESPN.

"You kind of sit there, you hope your name's getting called, and then your agent's getting phone calls and trying to work some stuff out."

For Toohey, landing with the Golden State Warriors represented the best possible outcome from the teams interested in his services.

The Australian connection was immediately apparent, with Warriors legend Andrew Bogut quickly reaching out to welcome him to the organisation.

"Bogut said I'm gonna love the city, I'm gonna love the organisation," Toohey recalls.

"He'll be easy to hear and ask questions about the schemes. He played there recently and was part of the reason they were so successful."

Former Chicago Bulls champion and Australian basketball icon Luc Longley also provided valuable insight, telling Toohey that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is "one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

Summer League Lessons

Toohey's first taste of NBA basketball came during Summer League, an experience that highlighted several areas for development before the regular season begins.

"The athleticism is obviously another level and the pace of the game, especially the Warriors, we had one of the highest pace offences and it felt like that," Toohey says.

"You'd be pretty gassed after a few minutes of getting up and down."

This initial challenge helped Toohey identify conditioning as a primary focus before joining the team for training camp.

"I think conditioning, you can never really be in the best shape, you can always be in better shape. Make sure I nail that before I get over there," he says.

"When you're playing, you can't get tired.I think that raises every level, it raises your decision making, the longer you can stay fit and keep your mind engaged."

Toohey also pinpointed shooting and finishing through contact as key areas for improvement, particularly given the Warriors' reputation for three-point shooting and floor spacing.

Learning from Champions

Joining an organisation featuring future Hall of Famers like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green presents a unique opportunity for a rookie. Toohey approaches each relationship with specific learning goals in mind.

From Curry, Toohey hopes to absorb more than just shooting technique: "The composure, I think as a shooter you can get fazed by makes and misses, but he'll have games where he's made ten threes in a row and then he'll go zero for ten. I want to talk to him about that mindset."

With Green, Toohey is fascinated by the defensive mastermind's ability to read the game: "The way he plugs every gap, he fits every hole. On defence, he's always in the right spots. I want to talk to him about what he sees."

Philosophical Approach

What sets Toohey apart is his thoughtful approach to both basketball and life. He emphasises maintaining "horizontal relationships" rather than vertical ones, viewing everyone as equals regardless of status or position.

"Instead of looking at people as above you or below you, even if they're higher than you in the workplace, just trying to keep horizontal relationships and view everyone as equal and treat them the same," Toohey explains.

"That's the key to a healthy environment. It makes you more genuine; you don't have to feel like you're on eggshells talking to people."

This mindset extends to his perspective on challenges, understanding that difficulties are universal experiences: "Alot of people think that what they're going through, no one knows what it's like and no one's been through it, but just realising that there's so many people in the world that have probably been through the exact same thing and probably had it worse."

Representing Canberra

As a Canberra native, Toohey takes immense pride in representing Australia's capital city in the NBA, following in the footsteps of fellow Canberran Patty Mills.

"Patty Mills went to my school in Canberra and he was a big idol growing up," Toohey says.

"Seeing how he got drafted and made his name in the NBA was special, and then seeing him give back to the community is super special."

Toohey hopes to use his platform to advocate for basketball infrastructure in Canberra, addressing the shortage of facilities for the sport's growing popularity.

"It's the fastest growing sport in Canberra right now and there's just not the facilities to match it, unfortunately," he notes."

They've got two courts that they own, Basketball ACT, and then that's pretty much it. They have to rent out the other three, and even then there's games on until 11, 12 at night."

As Toohey prepares for his rookie season with the Warriors, he remains focused on versatility and readiness: "Just staying ready, understanding that things will change, injuries will happen, and schemes will change. I've played multiple positions and being versatile and being able to fill the two to the four to the five. I understand that I've been in those situations."

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