Preseason is here: Warriors a little old, a little new

New pieces, new ideas, and one more attempt to reinvent what already worked.

The Golden State Warriors have scrimmaged a bit, but this weekend will be the first glimpse of what’s in store this season. With some placeholders missing for an extended period, the Warriors are going to be counting on contributions from the newcomers. With coach Steve Kerr’s staff changes bringing in Frank Vogel to dream up some new defensive options, and plenty of open opportunities for players to step up and make an impact, this should be a fascinating run of preseason games.

Though the first game is radio¹ coverage only, three of the six games will be on NBA TV, with Tuesday’s battle against the Los Angeles Lakers setting the first day for us viewers to plan around.

What to watch for

Of course, these preseason games will include a fair amount of silly times, where players looking for invites to the G-League or 10-day contracts are auditioning for any opportunity near or far. But there’s also a serious undertone to this season’s list of preseason priorities. Curry has extended his contract with a team-friendly deal this off-season, and that comes with a heavy burden of responsibility on his teammates and management to do whatever they can to help this man. Jaws will drop from his play, but as we’ve seen recently, his heroics can’t carry the weight of the franchise like we saw throughout his career. Not without some critical pieces falling into place.

Center rotation

Quinten Post signing with the Memphis Grizzlies may end up being one of the offseason’s most significant moves. Not because Post was beyond reproach or hyper critical to the team’s performance last year, but more so because of what’s left of the rotation.

In case you missed it, Kristaps Porzingis was a late scratch from training camp. After the mid-season trade last year, Porzingis appeared in 15 games (starting in 11 of them) - which was good enough for Golden State to lock him up on a two-year deal. He didn’t travel with the team to Hawaii, and while the team isn’t positioning this as anything long term, it’s a problem at a position of need.

"We feel comfortable with everything [about Porziņģis' status]" Dunleavy said. "[Disappointed that he won't be out there, but it's early, so don't want to overreact to anything."

Assuming (safely, I think) that Al Horford will remain on a minutes limitation that includes back-to-backs, there’s not much left. Charles Bassey was solid enough last year to get invited back on a veteran’s minimum contract, and Graham Ikey is a big body that could slot in for spot duty at center.

But as demonstrated last season, the pairing of Horford and Porzingis is potent when both are healthy and available - and you’d better have a solid plan for when (not if) both are unavailable. Of course, it is the modern NBA, and Kerr mentioned recently that he’s looking to run more of a spread “five out” offensive system designed to increase spacing, so maybe the Warriors don’t need a center all the time.

Still though, it’s going to be interesting to see how they handle meaningful center minutes with this rotation. We probably won’t get a solid answer from the preseason, but glimpses into the pairings and what does/doesn’t work are going to be valuable in these preseason games.

Hungry wings and returning cogs

With Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler sidelined for a while still, the question of how all of these players come together isn’t especially urgent - yet. That said, there’s a dynamic compounded by the departure of oft-relied-on fan favorite, Pat Spencer. Much like Shaun Livingston, Spencer was one of those players that was more than a glue guy - he was a little bit like a safety blanket.

De’Anthony Melton is back on a two-year deal, and he and Brandin Podziemski will be the default options at the small guard spot. There’s plenty of time for both here, especially with all the injuries that Golden State is opening the season with, but once Moody and Butler come back, it could create pressure that might force some rotation shuffling.

On the bigger edge of the wing spectrum, Yaxel Lendeborg is expected to force his way into the rotation, with Gui Santos chipping in frequently. From some earlyier training camp comments, it sounds like Lendeborg slots in naturally on the offensive end, but isn’t a stout enough defender in the post (yet).

There already have been instances in controlled 5-on-5 where Lendeborg essentially has been the Warriors’ center, which Kerr isn’t worried about offensively but acknowledged that would be a big adjustment defensively. Ideally, he’ll find his way as one of the Warriors’ two forward positions.

I don’t want to go through the whole roster in this article, but the Warriors are deep with wings - including free agent addition Georges Niang. I know Kerr mentioned a five-out system change, so it’s going to be fun watching all the various combinations and options this season. There’s a lot of angles to this one area that could work out well - or cause serious problems to the team’s hopes if things get bumpy.

Old dawgs, new tricks?

What do you do when your original ideas become the template? The Warriors have been running around with the same general offensive looks for over a decade at this point.

You ever play cross-generational basketball? You see, in an open gym, there are a lot of opportunities to play with a wide swath of skills and ages. The most frequent feature of old vs. young? Speed. Curry is still lethal. You can definitely still build an entire basketball ecosystem around him. But running predictable sets in his advanced years puts Curry and the Warriors at a disadvantage.

“I think we need to reimagine our way of operating, both on and off the court,” Kerr told Kerith Burke. “I think you know we’ve had a formula here that has been wildly successful… I think we’ve got to tighten the ship a little bit, but I think we also have to change some things on the court.”

“The game has changed quite a bit. It’s gotten faster, it’s gotten more spread out. I think how we practice and how we teach the players, film sessions, walkthroughs, detail. We’re undergoing some major changes in that regard, and that’s my message to the team on Day 1.

“…And what I'm hoping is that attention to detail and the spacing and the cutting that we're implementing will clear up some of the pictures…”

There’s two things here that will be worth paying extra attention to.²

First, Curry’s knees and the amount of pointless running he does. Okay. Not pointless, as his relentless assault of perpetual motion is a huge part of his lore at this point. He’s sent dudes to the hospital for post-game IVs because he runs around so much.

But those miles are not without cost. Curry only managed to appear in 43 games last season, and the Warriors took a hard nosedive in his absence. Though Curry did manage to make it back for the end of the season, it was an arduous season that saw him turn 38 years old. He was calling it his new normal, and it wasn’t a good place. More spacing, yes please. But it would be great if that spacing also somehow afforded Curry the luxury of a less labor-intensive offensive system for him (and his knees).

I’m also a bit skeptical about Green’s value in a true five out system. He’s solid at judiciously attacking the basket when openings appear, but it feels like his aging body is beginning to have an impact on the ways that made him good. Yes, he’s still good - even elite at times - but those margins are paper thin, especially once his frequent shooting struggles settle in.

Kerr references lowering the turnovers and I would bet that Draymond (and Podz) are going to be under strict scrutiny. Golden State has some more shooters this season, and a spread out offense can help, but Green’s role as a facilitator is contingent on him finding something to do. Killing the shot clock while doing nothing but looking to make a pass can be tiring to watch.

The team’s talking about the right things with focuses on smart passes and off-ball cuts, but how fundamentally these old heads can shift is going to really define this season. Plans are only good if people actually follow them. But Kerr and Curry and Green have done stuff like this before. Adjusting to personnel isn’t anything completely new. But a wholesale revision to primary offensive philosophy is always worth paying attention to - especially as it so directly impacts³ the team’s oldest and most entrenched cogs.

Prediction

There’s a lot to figure out, and preseason is where we’ll start getting some answers. Maybe not all the answers, but enough to give us something to argue about.

Let’s flip it around. I’d like to hear your predictions. What have you seen so far that you liked, what are you looking for in the preseason?

… or is it even time to pay attention yet?

1. 95.7 on the ol’ FM dial if you care to listen in to the non-broadcast games.

2. Actually way more than two things worth watching between Kerr, Curry and Green this season, but we must focus.

3. I switched words here, but I feel like both affects and effects would have worked instead of impacts… neat! Or am I wrong?