Warriors Season Opener: 5 things to watch for

After about two decades of coasting along in the bottom third of the NBA, the Golden State Warriors are back on the map.

Coming off back-to-back seasons landing the sixth seed in the extremely talented Western Conference, the Warriors are seen by many this season as taking the “next step” and becoming a serious contender in the West. Their entertaining and explosive style of play — accompanied by a much improved defense compared to Warriors teams of the past — has many looking at Golden State to turn some heads this upcoming campaign.

Golden State is no longer a team that will sneak up on the rest of the league – with arguably the best backcourt in the league, the recovery of Andrew Bogut and a new and improved bench, the Warriors are a team that is going to have a target on their backs. Golden State was just ranked second in the entire league in Yahoo’s pre-season power rankings — however much that may mean to you.

There’s little doubt that this team will contend in the Western Conference. Could it be some time before everything starts to “click”? Sure. Naturally, with new faces brought in, along with an entire change in the coaching staff, everyone involved may not be hitting it off on all cylinders right at the start. However, Steve Kerr wasn’t signed to build up a franchise from the bottom. He was given the role of taking a very talented team and to take them to the next level, a team that can compete for a championship. He knows that, and he and his staff will look at every possible way to maximize the production out of this roster.

If there is anything that Golden State is looking forward to, it is getting on the court. After an extremely eventful offseason which included Mark Jackson being let go and Kerr brought in, some major reinforcements to the bench and a whole lot of Klay Thompson vs. Kevin Love blubber, the Warriors will finally be able to put all of the distractions behind them.

That begins Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena, as Golden State faces its rivals up north, the Sacramento Kings, to kick off their respective seasons. Whether they win by 30 or lose on a buzzer-beater, too much stock can’t be put into the first game of the season. Ultimately, time will answer all of the questions that Warriors fans and the media have.

But this isn’t the preseason anymore – the games count for something, and here are five things that should be looked at closely for Golden State in its opener Wednesday against the Kings:

 1) Andre Iguodala vs Harrison Barnes

From all indications, it looks like Harrison Barnes, not Andre Iguodala will start at the small forward spot in the season opener. Yes, Iguodala is getting paid $48 million over four years, but the reasons for why Barnes would start over him make sense. After a promising rookie season on the starting unit finished with an extremely productive postseason, Barnes play saw a dip after being relied upon to be the leader of the second unit last season. Iguodala had a nice season last year; while his offensive numbers weren’t exactly at his career averages, he was praised for his team play as well as making the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

This is hardly a promotion for Barnes or a demotion for Iguodala, and they are both smart enough to understand that. The vision is that Barnes can maximize his ability with the starting unit and that Iguodala can play four positions on the court as well as handle the ball, and his leadership and ability to make plays will be good for Golden State’s second unit. And when the Warriors are in a close game in the fourth quarter, Iguodala will be in. If Iguodala can be all-in and play his role affectively, then this might pay dividends for Golden State

 2) Second Unit

Fittingly, we will have the play of the second unit be our second thing to look for. We talked about Iguodala leading the way – his 10-plus years of experience in the league and being relied upon to make plays should help. With Shaun Livingston — a player who Golden State expects to be a solid backup to Stephen Curry — out for the first couple weeks of the season, Iguodala will be relied upon to handle the ball that much more.

Draymond Green is quite possibly the X-Factor for this Warriors team. He has proven how valuable he can be in all facets of the game – playing tough defense, bringing a fire to the court, and a major improvement in his three point shot. Entering his contract year, and seeming to be in better shape, it will be intriguing to see how Green looks out of the gate against Sacremento.

There are also many other questions that will get their first look Wednesday. How will newcomers Leandro Barbosa and Brandon Rush be utilized? Where will Mauresse Speights play? And will we get anything out of last year’s first round pick, Nemanja Nedovic?

3) Health at The 5 Spot

If you are a Warriors fan and you haven’t come across the thought or said to friends, “If Bogut stays healthy…”, well, then, you aren’t a Warriors fan.

What if Bogut was at full health against San Antonio two seasons ago? What if Bogut was able to play against the Clippers in the playoffs last season? And we’ll say it again this season: if Andrew Bogut stays healthy, Golden State will be a SERIOUS threat in the Western Conference. He is said to be feeling great – we’ll see how this all pans out, starting with a very tough matchup against DeMarcus Cousins.

Another guy to look at very closely on Wednesday is Bogut’s backup Festus Ezeli, who missed the entire 2013-2014 campaign after a very promising rookie season. If he can provide valuable minutes off the bench to help the team win and give Bogut rest, then that will have a big impact. You never want to look at things too seriously the first game of any season, but Ezeli’s health is one of them.

4) Klay Thompson

Next to LeBron James, you can say that Klay Thompson’s name was in the news as much as anyone’s in the offseason for a number of reasons on and off the court. The early parts of summer brought non-stop speculation on whether Golden State would give up Thompson in exchange for All-Star Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a wide range of rumors and speculation, Golden State ultimately stuck with Thompson. He was one of the most productive players in the FIBA World Cup for the U.S. And in the recent weeks, much talk about whether he is worth a max contact, as he, along with Green, is entering his contact year.

If there is anyone looking forward to getting to play, it’s Thompson. He has worked hard on attacking the rim more often to complement his deadly jump shot and solid defense. Klay has a lot to play for – to prove to the league of what he is worth, to the Warriors for keeping him over Love, and to his teammates in their quest to win a championship.

5) Steve Kerr

This will be Kerr’s first regular season game as an NBA head coach. Golden State has looked real good in the preseason, but the regular season is a different animal – he will get different looks thrown at him that he hasn’t seen yet. We won’t be able to assess whether Kerr is the next Phil Jackson or a fluke based on one game. We aren’t in the locker room. We aren’t in the meetings. We don’t know what’s going on.

But what we can look for is how comfortable Kerr looks; will he look a bit overwhelmed in his first game? Nervous? Confident? Who knows. Many in and out of the organization believe in Kerr and his journey starts Wednesday night.

These are five topics that will be answered all throughout the regular season, but will be fun to look at when the Warriors tip off their season Wednesday against the Kings.