Golden State Warriors: Expectations for Each Young Bench Player

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 24: Alen Smailagic #6, Jordan Poole #3, and Eric Paschall #7 of the Golden State Warriors pose for a photograph during a press conference on June 24, 2019 at Rakuten Performance Center in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Jacob Evans: Backup Point Guard

Shaun Livingston, the long-standing reliable fixture behind Stephen Curry, retired in the offseason after his subsequent release from the Golden State Warriors. Though Golden State was hard-capped financially because of the D’Angelo-Russell sign-and-trade, they decided not to address the backup point guard spot via free agency.

The singular reason is that Steve Kerr and the coaching staff believe that Jacob Evans is more than up to the task of taking on that mantle. A majority of Evans’ rookie season was spent in the G-Leauge with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but now he’ll be thrust into valuable regular-season minutes.

In just 30 games a year ago, Evans averaged just 6.8 minutes per game. A realistic goal is obviously to exceed that and at least match Livingston’s final season average of 15 minutes per game.

Having a big season will not only give Evans his break into the NBA but it will be key to relieving pressure off of Stephen Curry and D-Lo. The Dubs will need Evans to fill in this backup position because no one else will.

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