After losing in the Second Round of the Playoffs last season, the Warriors look to bounce back. Below is the preview of the Warriors Pre-Training Camp. How will the Warriors fare this season?
Golden State Warriors 2024 Pre Training-Camp Season Preview
Lineup Uncertainty – Size will be the Early Story
The starting lineup has been the primary focus of the Golden State Warriors pre-training camp period. At least one of the Warriors “starting 6”, as Steve Kerr coined, will have to sacrifice in their role and minutes to come off the bench. The lineup may very well change throughout the year. Nevertheless, there are question marks about which player is best suited to anchor the second-unit.
Javale McGee? Dwight Howard? A big? If Chris Paul wasn’t a big enough question mark in the Warriors rotation, they’ve opted to start Training Camp without a traditional Center on the roster. Kevon Looney might be one of the best undersized big men in NBA history. However, an injury to either Dario Saric or Looney will place the Warriors in an extremely tough situation. More specifically, difficulties on both sides of the ball. The acquisition of Saric should give the Warriors consistency at big man. It’ll put immense physical strain and pressure on Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Furthermore, it will demand either 21 year old Usman Garuba or rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis to play high-pressure minutes as undersized centers. If rebounding is a problem early in the season, there will be pressure on the Warriors to acquire a rim protector.
Their Backcourt
The team loaded up on backcourt players during the offseason to provide cover for Steph Curry and Chris Paul throughout the 2023-2024 regular season. Cory Joseph, Brandin Podziemski, and the return of a healthy Gary Payton will hopefully provide different elements to a bench unit that is not yet solidified at this time. It is not known what type of role each will play, but there are minutes to be had. Payton will surely get minutes off the bench due to his defensive prowess, rebounding, and cutting ability, however with Klay Thompson now occupying a wing or front court role at this point in his career, there is a need for another ball handler in the rotation.
Pressure/ “Something to prove” Mentality
It’s year twelve for Klay Thompson. After winning a championship in his first successful season back, Klay Thompson was arguably the best non-Stephen-Curry-player for the Warriors and led the NBA in threes. However, going into a contract year, there’s arguably more pressure on Thompson than ever. He went 3-19 from the field in an elimination game against the Lakers and was on a well-deserved 5 Year, $190M deal.
The summer buzz around Thompson’s offseason reflects how much this season means to him. “It was great. Got to play some ball and have fun while doing it. That’s always what we love to do as basketball players. Play pick-up and sharpen our skills. When you have time off, you make the most of it. That’s what I did”.
As he becomes more of a veteran, he spoke on being more of a complete player, improving both on the defensive side of things and as a rebounder. Given how small the Warriors are, Thompson will be expected to guard at the power-forward position per Steve Kerr. “He’s so physically strong. He’s so used to guarding post-up players after switches. We think Klay can guard as a four this year. We’ll put him in coverage where he has to defend pick-and-roll as a four. We’re planning on doing that and seeing how he does”.
Given Klay’s attention to health over the last four years and linear improvement on the court, he could almost break-out again onto an All Star stage. A four-time champion, Thompson knows he will have to carry a heavy load and looks to continue to build his Hall of Fame Career.
Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga’s 3rd Year Leap
Kuminga
Following the departure of Jordan Poole, Donte Divincenzo and Jamychal Green, the onus of bench minutes fall on 21 year olds Kuminga and Moody. They’ll get the privilege of playing with Chris Paul and Dario Saric. Saric and Paul are both high IQ players who’s finesse skill sets could mesh well with Kuminga and Moody’s raw talent. Going into their third seasons, both players will finally find themselves in a role that demands them to play 20+ minutes a night. In Kuminga’s case, Kerr and Lacob will hope the off court lessons and learnings will add a level of maturity to his game. Given his freakishly athletic build and skillset, Kuminga needs patience and maturity. Possessing these traits could be the magical ingredients for the Warriors to unlock Kuminga’s all star talent.
Moody
The Moses Moody story is a little different. Given garbage time minutes for most of the 2022-23 regular season, Moody became a high impact bench player in the playoffs. He played 100 more playoff minutes than Kuminga and guarding the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and De’Aaron Fox. Almost the reverse situation to Kuminga, Moody offers a much more relaxed, calm style of play. A gritty shot maker and long defender, Moody can guard multiple positions and reads the game extremely well for a 20 year old ‘3 & D’ guard.
The Importance of Their Success
Curry and Co. will be the torchbearers for the team that is hoping to capture its 5th championship in a decade. However, the role for the young duo is as large and significant as it’s ever been. If Kuminga and Moody take strong steps forward, they could be complete X factors. Therefore, filling out and completing what would be one of the deepest (if not the deepest) bench in the NBA. If the Warriors want to win their 5th ring, Kuminga and Moody will have to play a major part at an extremely high level.
Self-Awareness, awareness of previous downfalls
The Warriors franchise was forced to take a hard look in the mirror this offseason. Following a disappointing playoff exit and a whirlwind season altogether, the team decided to shake things up. Two components the Warriors looked to add to their roster included experience and fit. By adding veteran players and drafting rookies that seemingly will mesh with the current squad, the team now has a deeper, more complete roster on paper.
The Warriors of last season struggled in several aspects during the regular season. They had apparent defensive issues and led the league in turnovers. This was not characteristic of what this team has been this past decade. There was an obvious level of dysfunction on the court at times. This dysfunction caused the team to shuffle the deck over the summer. Bringing in Chris Paul will surely provide a trusted ball handler. Alongside Steph Curry, Paul is a piece the Warriors were missing last season. In addition, the big men that the team added should help take the load off of Kevon Looney. Furthermore, the depth provides additional depth in the front court.
The coaching staff also struggled with finding the right lineup combinations throughout the year. The bench rotations were inconsistent and there was a major scoring deficit amongst the second unit. Long-term injuries to Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II surely did not help. Younger players were counted on to contribute on both offense and defense. The hope is that the depth that the Warriors added this offseason provides them with plentiful options to produce off the bench.
Last Word on the Warriors
All in all, the team identified their shortcomings last season. They also shrewedly addressed their most glaring needs during the offseason period.
