As the Golden State Warriors prepare for a go at a full regular season with their revamped veteran trio, the organization and fans alike have high expectations for this new iteration of the team.
Yet, the Warriors' two announced primetime games, on opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers and on Christmas Day against the Dallas Mavericks, as well as their group for the NBA Cup could lead to some disastrous public outings for a team that desperately needs to secure a top seed in the regular season.
Therefore, although it is still early in the schedule release process, what we know so far could be troublesome as the season wears on.
Warriors' primetime matchups could signal trouble ahead
Although Golden State turned things around in dramatic fashion last season following their blockbuster acquisition of Jimmy Butler, it is important not to forget that their regular season, as a whole, was largely disappointing.
After sitting on the fringe of play-in contention for much of the season, the team looked as though they had a shot to grab a top seed with only weeks left, only to fall back into the play-in as the result of tough losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers in the last week of the regular season.
In part, these early-season doldrums were capped off by disappointing losses in major, nationally-televised games. The team lost to the Houston Rockets in the first elimination round of the NBA Cup, and they also lost on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater to the Lakers on Christmas Day.
Now, they must face the Lakers, who just extended superstar Luka Doncic and are extremely hungry to compete with a new offensive center of gravity, on the opening night of the NBA season. Moreover, they must play the Mavericks, who just drafted Cooper Flagg and look to be back in contention in the West, on Christmas Day.
To make matters worse, their group for the NBA Cup, which was announced in early July, looks to be the toughest in the league. Spread across late October and early November, they will have matchups with Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant and the scrappy Portland Trailblazers defense lined up as a result of the group assignments.
In an absolutely loaded Western Conference, Golden State will need every win they can get. Therefore, while the bulk of the schedule will be released later this week, what information has already been made available by the NBA does not bode well for a team whose star players will need significant rest during the regular season.