Like a thief in the night, Golden State Warriors swingman Alfonzo McKinnie came out of nowhere to become a valuable player for the defending champs this season. It turns out McKinnie actually turned down multiple two-way deals for an even lesser contract from Golden State.

Alfonzo McKinnie, 26, previously played 14 games for the Toronto Raptors last season. McKinnie is actually a journeyman of a player, literally, that is.

The 6-foot-8 small forward spent some time playing for lowly teams in Luxembourg and Mexico before trying out his luck in the G League. He even had to pay a fee to enter a tryout for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago's affiliate team in the G League.

McKinnie became an All-Star in the league and also learned the ropes with Jerry Stackhouse, the head coach of Raptors 905, for which he played for last season.

Luck also played out for McKinnie as some contract issues forced Warriors guard Patrick McCaw to be left off the roster. Even so, it's not easy to earn consistent minutes in the stacked Warriors lineup, but McKinnie worked extremely hard for it.

Now, he is averaging over 20 minutes in the last four games. McKinnie's best game so far this season was a 19-point outburst in a win over the Chicago Bulls. The young forward also pulled down 10 rebounds that night.

Alfonzo McKinnie is shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc this season. His versatility on both ends of the floor is tailor-made for the defending champs.