Warriors rookie might have already made beloved championship veteran redundant

With Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody and even Gui Santos all on the sidelines for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, rookie Will Richard emerged as one of the major storylines after increased opportunity in the 118-111 victory at Moda Center.

Richard has strongly made his case for a legitimate rotation role ahead of Golden State's regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers next week, and perhaps pushed his way past beloved championship veteran Gary Payton II in the process.

Will Richard might have already made Gary Payton II redundant to the Warriors rotation

The 56th overall pick could have hardly been more impressive in his first start with the Warriors, recording 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in his just over 25 minutes. Richard enjoyed the opportunity to play alongside veterans Stephen Curry and Al Horford in the starting lineup, revealing post-game that he hadn't even had the chance to practice with the first unit during training camp.

Richard already looks like an excellent connective piece who could thrive in Golden State's system, particularly playing alongside the offensive engines in Curry and Butler. He's more than held up defensively with a big 6'4" frame and 6'10" wingspan, while more importantly he showcased a confident stroke in knocking down three of his five attempts from beyond the arc on Tuesday.

Speaking post-game, head coach Steve Kerr put some stock in Richard's potential as an early rotation piece, suggesting he won't hesitate to put him in games if required.

"Will's good. Will really knows how to play...We're really excited about him," Kerr said. "If you're on the roster, there's always going to be a path. You know so much happens during the 82 and I know one thing, I won't hesitate to put him out there. I have a lot of confidence in him already."

With De'Anthony Melton still recovering from his torn ACL, Moses Moody dealing with a calf issue and Seth Curry not expected to be brought back onto the main roster until mid-November, there could be a rotation opportunity there in the opening weeks of the season if Kerr goes 10 or 11 deep.

It might come down to Richard or Payton, with no guarantee now that the latter gets the nod despite his far greater experience. The 32-year-old doesn't seem to be the same elite defender he once was, while Richard's shooting already appears like a decisive factor between the two players.

Combine that with Richard's upside as a younger player and it's easy to argue that he should be ahead of Payton in the pecking order, but whether Kerr sees it that way once the real stuff gets underway remains to be seen.