The Golden State Warriors, with an extra long wait this offseason after the team was eliminated in last season's Play-In Tournament, are finally slated to start their campaign tonight with a road matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
As long as Stephen Curry is healthy, almost any Warriors matchup this season is going to present some intrigue. But facing off against Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler with a projected small-ball starting lineup provides more reason for interest than even the typical season opener does.
How does Steve Kerr handle the rotation will all these new pieces in the fold? How viable does the Warriors' frontcourt look without Kristaps Porzingis on the court? These are question we'll get partial answers to on Wednesday night, and there are a number of additional storylines that are worth keeping an eye on.
Here are the three primary narratives that I'll be monitoring heading into the Warriors' season opener.
3 things to watch as the Warriors take on the Lakers in season-opener action
1. How does De'Anthony Melton perform, assuming he's in the starting lineup (and who does he guard)?
Brandin Podziemski, who was one of the only NBA players to appear in all 82 games last season, is set to end that streak on Wednesday night as he's sidelined with lower back soreness. That, of course, necessitates an adjustment in the Warriors' starting five—which will likely see De'Anthony Melton slotted into the backcourt—but it does give Golden State a better defensive look against the Lakers' formidable backcourt.
Austin Reaves will, in many ways, be the engine of this offense, and it would make sense for Melton to stay with him for much of the night as the Warriors' best point-of-attack defender. Can he limit Reaves, and how effective is Golden State's new Frank Vogel-led defense as a whole against Los Angeles' revamped offense?
Melton also struggled as a shooter during the preseason after a pair of hand injuries derailed the end to his last campaign, and Golden State will need him to find his form there in order to keep their offensive attack afloat.
2. How does Stephen Curry's ankle look?
The Warriors certainly got a scare when Curry limped off the floor in practice late last week, but it was reported immediately afterwards that it was simply a tweaked ankle and that the superstar would likely be fine for the season opener. Phew.
Still, though, any chance Golden State has of keeping its head above water in the early portions of this regular season depends on full health from Curry, and how he looks working off-ball on Wednesday night will give us a clue as to what sort of shape he's entering the season in. A 40-point performance would be wonderful here, but simply looking like himself will be enough from Curry to provide a dose of optimism for the Warriors in this game.
3. What can Yaxel Lendeborg do in some real NBA action?
Everyone's excited to see Yaxel Lendeborg make his NBA debut—even those who are still espousing doubts about his defensive abilities after the preseason. Much of the attention will be on his ability to attack and, especially with Podziemski out, operate as a secondary option on the offensive end of the court. Kerr will find a way to get some matchup advantages for the rookie, and it's likely we get at least a couple highlight-worthy moments out of this outing.
But it will also be intriguing how Lendeborg fits into the Warriors' scheme on the defensive end of the court. Will he guard Luka Doncic consistently through the first quarter, and how will the Warriors adjust from there to give the opposing superstar some different looks over the course of the night? Or will he be forced to spend most of his time chasing Los Angeles' wing talent around the perimeter?
Lendeborg doesn't need to have a monstrous outing to convince people of his immediate NBA potential. But seeing how Kerr employs his new weapon will certainly be one of the most interesting storylines of the night.
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