3 Winners and 3 Losers from Warriors preseason so far

Losers

1. Gary Payton II

First and foremost, it's good to see Gary Payton II healthy and playing given the injury issues he's had over the past two years. The 31-year-old has been solid throughout preseason, but he hasn't quite done enough in comparison to others who he's fighting for minutes with in the rotation.

Payton has averaged 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his 12.9 minutes per game, having shot 58.3% from the floor including making three of his six three-point attempts. The 2022 champion can still have a huge defensive impact when called upon, but may otherwise find himself behind the likes of Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody when it comes to consistent minutes off the bench.

2. Andrew Wiggins

Following a career-worst year in 2023-24, a illness in training camp was less than ideal for Andrew Wiggins which saw him miss the first four preseason games. Wiggins returned on Tuesday against the Lakers and clearly looked rusty offensively, albeit he got better as the game wore on.

Given the rise of Kuminga and particularly Moody throughout the preseason, and the expectations set on him by Steve Kerr, Wiggins will be under some pressure to perform from the opening tip against the Trail Blazers next week.

3. Quinten Post

While it's far from a major concern, it would have been nice to see more from Quinten Post throughout preseason, especially after he outlined a goal to crack the rotation on media day at the start of the month.

The 52nd overall pick has seen 28 total minutes in preseason, having recored six points and five rebounds in that time while shooting 2-of-12 (16.7%) from the floor and 1-of-7 (14.3%) from three-point range.

The Warriors still need a stretch big to add to the mix, but it's not likely to be Post anytime soon based on what we've seen in preseason. The seven-foot center is expected to spend much of his rookie year in the G League developing with Santa Cruz.