The Unproven (5)
In this tier are rookies Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, and Alen Smailagić to go along with second-year forward Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans III.
These guys need to move up a tier by the end of the season or risk being off the team by next year. Right out of the gate, at least four of the five players in this tier should get consistent minutes.
The trouble is that three of them are power forwards. How will Spellman, Smailagic, and Paschall separate themselves from each other to be awarded minutes behind Draymond Green or even at the five? That’ll be the early-season question facing those three.
As for their placement in this group, it’s simply that they’re still developing.
They all have the potential to be quality contributors and secure late-game minutes, but as the headline notes, they’ll still unproven. Even Spellman and Evans III didn’t get many minutes last season as rookies.
There’s is too much potential in this group for them not to contribute. But, for now, each of them still has a deep floor and could completely falter once the season commences.