The Golden State Warriors, even as we near the end of July, still have four open roster spots.
One of those will be taken up by Draymond Green when he ultimately signs his extension. Perhaps one will be taken by LeBron James. But if not, the Warriors will need to scramble to add veteran contributors as the final offseason dominoes fall across the NBA.
Their rotation is already lacking depth, especially considering the availability concerns surrounding many of their starters. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford will likely miss at least 15 games each this season, if we're being generous. Who know what Kristaps Porzingis can provide in his first full season in Golden State?
Even if James lands in The Bay Area, therefore, they'll need everything they can possibly get out of their young contributors. That leaves second-year guard Will Richard with a clear mandate— develop as a shooter and as an aggressive offensive threat.
He already established himself as a solid 3-and-D piece last season, but Golden State needs more out of him during his sophomore campaign.
Will Richard needs to take a leap for the Warriors in 2026-27— even if that's an unfair position to put him in
Last season, Richard was about as excellent of a surprise as you could possibly hope for from the 56th overall pick. He received a diet of 20 minutes per game across 69 appearances with Golden State, averaging 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 33.5% from beyond the arc.
His hustle mentality and his winning mindset immediately endeared him to Steve Kerr, and he's the exact type of rangy backcourt piece that Kerr will be looking to turn to this season behind Curry, Brandin Podziemski, and De'Anthony Melton.
If there's one knock against Richard's game, though, it's his consistency on offense. He was never a high-volume scorer during his time in college, but he has a serviceable enough perimeter shot and the downhill athleticism to continue to evolve his offensive bag with the Warriors.
During his appearances in the California Classic and the 2K26 NBA Summer League, we saw flashes of that. Richard, at times, looked like the most confident and poised player on the floor. He was able to beat his man off the dribble and consistently get looks on relocation 3-pointers. Across seven games, he averaged 10.3 points while shooting 48.3% from beyond the arc.
Even if Gary Payton II returns this offseason, the loss of Pat Spencer and the extended absence of Moses Moody will open up some additional opportunities for Richard in his sophomore campaign. While Kerr is content to toss him out there as a defensive and semi-floor spacing threat, the next step in his game to claim that opportunity is clear.
Richard needs to continue to develop his jumper in order to become a consistent offensive contributor for the Warriors. Perhaps that's an unfair expectation to place on the former 56th overall pick, but it's the position Golden State has been left in this offseason.
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