NBA teams usually aren't where they strive to be when the regular season tips off. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after practice Monday that his team will probably get there in a few weeks. A three-week-long training camp is a short period of time to prepare for an NBA marathon, especially for a team like the Warriors that's in the middle of reimagining the way they approach both sides of the ball.
The new five-out offensive system the coaching staff is putting in place and all the concepts that come with it will need some runway to fully take shape before they hopefully produce the desired results on the floor. Defensively, the team has had to get familiar with and learn brand-new terminology under recently hired defensive coach Frank Vogel and his now well-known "collision mentality."
Despite those substantial tactical changes, Kristaps Porzingis' health situation has been the center of attention. It's been the main national storyline surrounding the Warriors going into the new season. But it's also been a huge question mark. No official timetable or concrete information about a possible return has been issued, except that he won't take part in the trip to Los Angeles for the season opener, which was fairly predictable given that he hasn't practiced since general manager Mike Dunleavy announced that the big man wouldn't travel to Hawaii for the team's camp.
So instead, we're going to leave that one out and focus on the basketball side of things, concentrating on the players that will actually be in uniform on Wednesday night in Los Angeles when the Warriors open their season against the Lakers.
Here are my main takeaways from a busy preseason.
Draymond Green's different role
Kerr made it clear entering training camp that Green, after serving as the offense's initiator for more than a decade, will have the ball in his hands less. Kerr doesn't want him trailing the play anymore — guards and wings will be in charge of that. Instead, Green has been instructed to get down the floor to position himself in the corners and on the wings. When first asked about that change in Hawaii after the Warriors' preseason opener against the Clippers, Green sounded resigned.
"Whether I like it or not, it's going to happen," he said when asked about directing the offense less.
Since those comments, Green's been nothing short of brilliant, racking up 25 assists (the fifth-most in NBA preseason) over his four preseason appearances and turning the ball over just six times. Whether it's the fruit of the new system or not, Green has looked comfortable when orchestrating the offense. Finding cutters and throwing dimes, his decision-making has looked sharper after posting a 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio last year, his lowest since his first two seasons in the league when he came off the bench.
One thing that won't be new to Green is the necessity for him to play some five, more than the Warriors would have wanted. For years now, the Warriors have desperately tried to reduce the now-36-year-old's playing time as the center to protect his body from the bumping and grappling with seven-footers. The truth is that Kerr doesn't really have a choice. Porzingis is out indefinitely with a mysterious illness and can't be relied upon, 40-year-old Al Horford is expected to come off the bench in order for the coaching staff to manage his minutes more easily, and Charles Bassey's skill set doesn't exactly fit alongside Green's.
That leaves Draymond as the main and viable option until Porzingis eventually comes back. Yaxel Lendeborg and Gui Santos are expected to flank him on the wings to form a bigger "small-ball" lineup than in years past and help the 14-year veteran deal with those bulkier opposing centers every night. It'll get scary on the nights Draymond is unavailable, but that's another topic.
The rookie is ready to contribute right away
When the Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick in this year's draft, the hope was that the rookie would be able to contribute immediately and help fill the void left by Butler's and Moody's devastating injuries. Even before the front office decided to go with the 6-foot-10 forward out of Michigan, when Lendeborg worked out for the Warriors during the summer, Kerr told the "seasoned" rookie that, if he were to join the franchise by the bay, he would play a ton. One important condition was required though: he would need to earn that significant playing time.
After three weeks of camp and five preseason games, Kerr officially announced on Monday that Lendeborg will be in the starting lineup on Wednesday. There's little to no doubt that he'll be a weapon on the offensive end — Lendeborg averaged 15.6 points on 56.9% shooting from the field and 43.8% from three in the preseason. Kerr has already praised his ability to do it all offensively: dribble, shoot, pass, drive, make the right reads, and operate in the pick-and-roll.
He's been a menace in the open floor, attacking the basket and running through defenders, and will help resurrect the Warriors' transition game after the team finished 27th in points per possesion and scored the fourth-fewest points in transition last season.
The defense will need more time. Transitioning from college to the NBA is a tall task for any rookie. The opposition is faster, smarter, and craftier. Rookies also need to learn new coverages and defensive rotations along with watching film to identify other players' tendencies. On top of all that, Lendeborg will have to pick up how to operate as the five. The Warriors, though they would much rather use him against scoring wings, won't have a choice but to slot him there for stretches.
Figuring out the pick-and-roll coverages might be the most demanding part of that process, something Yaxel really struggled with against the Lakers in Las Vegas — Austin Reaves got numerous free layups when involving Lendeborg in the pick-and-roll with Walker Kessler. But he'll get there. He just needs more reps. Plus, he's already doing the right thing, which is picking his teammates' brains about it, especially Draymond's.
A lot of the Warriors' success, which can be summed up by staying afloat until reinforcement arrives around February, will rest on the rookie's shoulders. Probably too much of it. The good news is that he might be the most suited rookie in this class to respond to that challenge.
The Warriors will need Brandon Williams off the bench
For the first time in a while, the Warriors have a shifty guard that relentlessly tries to get to the rim and wreaks havoc in the paint. It's hard to pinpoint when the Warriors last boasted a player with a similar skill set. Probably Jordan Poole in 2022.
But in order to make that fit work, Williams, who will serve as the backup point guard, will need to limit his turnovers. Kerr mentioned after practice on Monday that he's willing to put up with a few miscues Williams commits by trying to push the pace. But not five per night. In his five games this preseason, Williams did finish in double digits in four of them, but also committed 15 total turnovers. A backup point guard can't be that sloppy with the rock in his hands.
On the nights Steph Curry sits out, which will inevitably happen, Williams will be thrust into a bigger role. He'll have to direct traffic more. While not changing the way he plays the game, he should make taking care of the ball one of his main priorities.
The defensive concerns
Kerr envisions this team shaping up to be a very good defensive team. He believes that their connectedness as a five-man unit can make up for their lack of on-ball defenders and overall rim protection, the team's two major deficiencies on that end.
New defensive coach Frank Vogel's "collision mentality" will be key in the pursuit of that lofty goal. Vogel, as many players have repeated throughout camp, has implored his guys to be more physical, almost violent. He wants his defense "to have teeth." Hitting people, jumping vertically at the rim, being handsy on the perimeter, and discouraging opposing players from driving to the rim again are all core components of that mindset.
Here is a typical way-too-early, overreacting stat: the Warriors posted a 103.5 defensive rating during the preseason, the third-lowest mark in the league.
Kerr wants to win in the margins
Multiple times this preseason, from media day to postgame press conferences, Kerr has brought up his desire for his team to win in the margins. But what does that actually mean, and how is it assessable? Winning in the margins basically means doing the little things that don't necessarily show up in the box score right. Winning loose balls, being on point with defensive rotations, and setting good screens are all part of it. So are limiting turnovers and grabbing rebounds, two areas the Warriors scuffled in last season.
Both have remained issues early on, with the Warriors ranking in the bottom tier in turnovers and being a below-average rebounding team on both ends of the floor during the preseason. Again, Lendeborg's sole presence should help the Warriors become a better defensive-rebounding team after they finished 24th in defensive rebound rate last season. His 37 rebounds in the preseason accounted for the second-most on the team, behind Bassey's 39, and seventh-most in the entire NBA. The rookie boldly stated a couple of weeks ago that rebounding with the pros has felt easier than it was in college. He even called out NBA players for being lazy on the boards.
Fully ready or not, the regular season is here, finally. For the Warriors, the grueling marathon begins on Wednesday night in Los Angeles against Luka Doncic and the Lakers. The early season's goal is clear and simple: survive until Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody (and Porzingis) come back and then build from there. The points I listed above should predominantly determine whether or not the Warriors carry out that mission.
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