Warriors’ Kent Bazemore was the steal of free agency

The Golden State Warriors made several enhancements to their roster this offseason, and one of the most important may be forward Kent Bazemore.

After just a few preseason games, one thing is clear — Kent Bazemore is going to fit in well with the Golden State Warriors. He’ll be a nightly threat off the team’s bench and will likely be the most consistent of the second unit.

Bazemore had seven points and five rebounds in the team’s most recent preseason loss. The 6-foot-4, 31-year-old averaged double figures for four straight seasons, but that streak ended at four after last season.

After starting in Portland and ending in Sacramento, Bazemore made his presence felt in both places. With the Kings, he scored 10.3 points per game in 25 games. If the Warriors can get that type of production off the bench, they’ll be set.

Throughout the Big 3’s era, the Warriors haven’t had great second unit production. Having spent so much on their starting unit over the last few years, the team oftentimes settles for players that are either past their primes or without a strong market.

Just look at last season’s team, they brought in Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks, turning them both into trading chips that added several second-round picks to the roster. They sent them to Philadelphia for three second-round picks.

While Bazemore’s story should be different as they’ll likely be able to contend and he shouldn’t be traded later in the season, a similar rebound would be ideal. If Bazemore can get back to his Atlanta days later in his career, he’ll be one of the more important Warriors.

Already in the preseason, he’s shown his craftiness in transition, and once he starts to cement himself as a shooter and playmaker, he’ll be able to be a leader off the bench and late in the game for Golden State.

The unit is without experienced leadership. Bazemore has been in the league for almost a decade, and he knows what he must do to thrive as a Warrior. On a veteran’s minimum, Bazemore was a steal in free agency, arguably the biggest one there was.