Warriors Training Camp Preview And Predictions
We’re less than a month away from the start of training camps across the NBA, and the Warriors look a lot different now than they did at this time last year. The addition of veteran presences Chris Paul and Dario Saric to replace young departures has shifted the team fully into win-now mode, and hopes remain that Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are ready to contribute like they did in stretches last season.
There’s plenty of question marks and still two open roster spots to fill, so it’s hard to predict what training camp will look like. There have been signs, however, of who’s ready to take the leap, and how the team will look with their newest contributors, as well as plenty of news surrounding a change in the starting lineup.
Here are our predictions for who the standouts will be, and what the roster could look like when preseason officially kicks off.
1) Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis Shine
The biggest non-Chris Paul storyline of the offseason when it comes to current team personnel is probably Jonathan Kuminga. While offseason workout videos have a tendency to overhype when a player may be making an improvement (see: Ben Simmons drilling threes in pick-up runs), Kuminga’s improvements seem tangible enough after he put up 60 points at NBA legend Jamal Crawford’s “Crawsover” pro-am game in Seattle. Kuminga flashed a tighter handle and improved shooting mechanics, two things which should help him to take over the lion’s share of shots off the bench left behind by Jordan Poole. These weren’t coming out of left field either, as both of these skills are ones JoKu was noticeably improving on through the course of last season, and he’ll be poised to show he deserves those extra shots in October.
The other camp standout? Trayce Jackson-Davis. TJD fell a lot further than he was predicted to in last year’s draft because of his size for his position, lack of a perimeter jumper, and likely his age for a college hooper as well… And then he turned in two summer league games that showed his impact potential is far higher than anticipated. As covered in our rookie preview, Jackson-Davis is the kind of big that fits a lot of what the Warriors need: Shot-blocking, screen setting, and post playmaking, with the added benefit of an athletic lob threat who can get physical where needed. The standards for modern bigs in the NBA are much different, but the Warriors have not employed many of those kinds of bigs in their championship runs: Kevon Looney, a key contributor, is an undersized center who can’t shoot, and he’s been vastly important to the team’s success after Kevin Durant’s departure. TJD has a mixture of skills employed by both Loon and Draymond Green, and is likely to impress during camp if he can put an emphasis on those skills in particular.
2) The Warriors Bring Back Juan Toscano-Anderson
The news that the Sacramento Kings recently released Nerlens Noel may have changed the perception of who Golden State will be signing to their 14th roster spot, but a look at the list of their pre-camp workouts gives some insight that they aren’t too concerned with having bigs on the roster:
This list lends some thoughts to where the team’s head is at when it comes to reinforcing their depth. If the Warriors are going to pick up more size despite signing Saric and drafting Jackson-Davis, that size needs to be able to shoot. Neither Dewayne Dedmon or Derrick Favors fits that bill, and would really be emergency relief for Looney and Draymond. Nobody’s expecting major production out of the 14th man on the roster, but having someone for depth who knows the team’s system and can fit in as a plus defender and good-enough passer could fill out a wing rotation spot when the team needs to hold onto a lead. JTA was a fan favorite in his stint with the Dubs, and he consistently makes winning plays that may not jump off the stat sheet. Versatile wings are valuable to have in a variety of lineups, so Toscano-Anderson does make the most sense in a lot of ways.
3) Chris Paul Starts, But Sees a Lot of 2nd-Unit Reps
Not starting a hall-of-fame point guard seems pretty counterintuitive by itself. Not starting a 38-year-old point guard whose last few seasons have been injury riddled in favor of the group that was the NBA’s best statistical lineup by a country mile last season? For more sensible. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple either way. Starting Paul has some benefits and some negatives, but one thing is certain: Just because he starts doesn’t mean he can’t captain the bench mob. Paul starting would likely be more ceremonial than anything, but it does allow Steve Kerr to get a little more creative with his lineups: Having Stephen Curry running a traditional pick-and-roll offense with pick-and-pop expert/kickout-wizard Saric as his first option and a lob to either Kuminga or TJD from the weak-side as the second doesn’t sound like the worst option in the world.
Starting Paul could mean more minutes with Steph and a disciplined bench unit, but it could also mean an early 1st quarter exit and 2nd quarter start with the backup unit. This is the most likely scenario: It makes sense to split up Paul and Steph’s minutes as much as possible so that there’s always a true floor general always on the floor, so if Kerr does end up starting CP3 it likely will be for only a short stint. Given the need to preserve his best minutes for the playoffs, a lower workload for the veteran PG is certainly far from out of the question, and there’s a possibility he only starts for the first half of the season before transitioning to a full-time 6th man.
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