The Golden State Warriors will have a competitive fight to see who opens the season as the starting center, the only position up for grabs.
Entering into the offseason, the Golden State Warriors had their sights on building a competitive team again.
However, the team was given absolutely brutal news just a day before the draft that Klay Thompson had ruptured the Achilles on the opposite leg that he had torn his ACL on almost 18 months ago.
It was disheartening to see so much going right for the Warriors, and then this happens. But, the team didn’t throw the towel in. The Warriors traded for Kelly Oubre Jr., they signed Kent Bazemore, and they drafted James Wiseman.
Both Bazemore and Oubre Jr. know their respective role, and the starting lineup for the upcoming season is generally speaking set with Stephen Curry, Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green all locks.
That said, there’s one position remaining in which no one truly knows who will be the starter, and that’s at center.
No. 2 overall pick Wiseman, former first-round pick Kevon Looney or the projected starter Marquese Chriss are all options for Golden State. After all, we did mention how Wiseman could be an all-time great rookie.
But, with room on the roster for all three, the competition isn’t going to be a toxic battle for who stays and who goes, at least not according to Chriss.
"“I’d say we’re competing with each other, not against,” Chriss said in a video conference call with reporters Thursday. “Even when Omari [Spellman] was here [last season] and that was like my bruise brother, I think we all want to find a way to complement each other and I don’t think anybody’s really trying to out-show anybody. I think we all offer different things that the team needs, and that’s why we’re here,” NBC Sports’ Marcus White wrote."
Chriss ended last season as the starter and seemed like the projected starter all offseason. While Looney may be a good fit, he’s yet to prove that he can do much more than just be a solid defensive option and offensive rebounder. Chriss has a much higher ceiling offensively.
Although not developed, Wiseman will certainly have a claim to the opening day starter spot as he seems to be the future of the Warriors frontcourt. However, if he’s not quite ready for those minutes, they’ll let him get comfortable with the pace of the game on the second unit.
Training camp will help be a deciding factor if Wiseman is ready to take on the load as the starter or not. As for now, Chriss should still be assumed to start on the team’s opening day matchup with the Nets.