3. Klay Thompson
With Chris Paul coming in, his disappointing finish to the second-round series against the Lakers, and entering the final year of his contract, it’s fair to say there’s already enough motivation for Klay Thompson this season.
In his first full season since returning from two major leg injuries, the absences of Curry and Wiggins meant there was a larger responsibility on Thompson at various periods throughout 2022-23.
The five-time All-Star’s still at a level where he won’t necessarily feel pressure from Kuminga and Moody, but at the very least he probably shouldn’t be averaging the 33 minutes per game he did last season.
Moody’s three-and-D style could shave a couple of minutes from Thompson, particularly given the Warriors will be hoping to have their veteran core healthy and firing for playoff time. Even Kuminga could see some of the 33-year-old’s minutes given Steve Kerr has advertised Thompson as someone who could guard power-forwards more regularly.
Thompson failed to find the range in the preseason opener, putting up seven threes and eight field-goal attempts overall in his near 13 minutes of action. While he made just two of his shots, he did look good physically after entering last season underdone.
Ultimately there’s a hope that the rise in the Warriors younger players could urge the veterans, like Thompson, to lift their own game in the hopes of adding a fifth NBA championship across the last decade.