3 Dark horse candidates to eventually break into the Warriors starting lineup

2. Moses Moody

The often controversial treatment of Moses Moody may now be better understood by rival fans, with Jayson Tatum's jump from non-rotation player to starter for Team USA drawing comparisons to Steve Kerr's use of the Warrior wing.

Moody found himself out of the rotation at different points again last season, yet also started nine games when Golden State found an injury or two. The most frustrating element may be that he played well during those games, having averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting a hugely efficient 51.9% from the floor and 39.5% from three-point range. The Warriors had a 6-3 record in those games -- far superior to their overall record albeit a small sample size.

Those numbers suggest that with Klay Thompson vacating the starting shooting guard role, Moody should have a direct claim to that spot. Yet he'll also find stiff competition, with young guard Brandin Podziemski and free agent signing De'Anthony Melton also in line to start at the two.

That pair appear far more likely to claim the role at this stage, particularly given the reported willingness of the Warriors to include Moody in a trade. Then, as outlined previously, Hield could also feature given his shooting prowess.

But a strong training camp and preseason could vault Moody into a starting role, or perhaps that could happen further down the line if he at least gets consistent minutes in the rotation to begin with. Whatever the case, most Golden State fans would acknowledge that the 22-year-old deserves greater opportunity to show what he's got.