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Golden State Warriors upcoming five-game road trip will be telling

By Nathan Beighle

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 08: Eric Paschall #7 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on November 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 08: Eric Paschall #7 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on November 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors, immediately following Thanksgiving, will embark on a five-game road trip that’ll be telling for their development.

There’s no denying that this season hasn’t started the way many had envisioned. The Golden State Warriors are 4-15 heading into a one day Thanksgiving break. They’ll come out of that break on a lengthy five-game road trip.

This road trip will be strictly against Eastern Conference teams. The Warriors will take on the Heat, Magic, Hawks, Hornets and then finally the Bulls. It’s not often I say this about this specific Warriors team, but they could win all five games.

Their first challenge against the Heat’s Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn should be their most difficult, but aside from that, they’ll have extremely winnable games.

The Magic will likely be without Nikola Vucevic and maybe even Aaron Gordon. The Hawks will still be missing John Collins as well.

They’ve proven just a few nights ago with a win over Chicago that they can compete with some bottom-of-the-barrell teams in the East. They should be able to not only compete but win games against teams in the East that are missing key parts.

The Warriors have been on road trips of four games and three games so this will be their longest trip of the season. For Golden State, there’s still not a clear update on whether Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell will play.

Don’t tell them that they need those guys to win though. Eric Paschall and Alec Burks have elevated their level of play and have taken that leadership on themselves.

The second-round pick Paschall is averaging 17.0 points per game on over 50% shooting. Meanwhile, Burks, who was signed on a veteran’s minimum, is averaging a career-high 14.9 points. Even Glenn Robinson III is setting career-high numbers across the board.

They’re about to go on a trip where, although unlikely, they can come back to the Chase Center with eight wins. They’ll need Burks and Paschall to show that they’ve developed as the go-to players on this team as they’ll need that leadership down the stretch.

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It’s likely not going to matter for playoff contention. But, for the career progression of Burks and Paschall, they need to stay hot, and against lacking teams, they can prove that they’re the real deal once again.

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