Will Richard has been one of the biggest positives from an otherwise underwhelming first 21 games for the Golden State Warriors, yet the imminent additions of Seth Curry and De'Anthony Melton could mean the end of the rookie's honeymoon phase at the franchise.
The Warriors announced on Saturday that Melton could make his long anticipated return from injury as soon as this week, while reports emerged on Sunday of the front office's plans to sign Curry on Monday after being forced to part ways with the veteran sharpshooter at the end of preseason due to financial constraints.
Will Richard's honeymoon phase at the Warriors could quickly come to an end
The return of Melton and Curry is only set to add to an already guard-heavy rotation -- one that Richard has been able to slide into despite being taken with the 56th overall pick in June's NBA Draft.
One or multiple players are going to have to make way for Melton who projects as a key player once he's up and running. For as impressive as Richard has been through his first 19 NBA games, he might be the easiest option for Steve Kerr to remove from the uncertain rotation.
One could argue that's unfair and unjustified, particularly when Richard has been a solid starter for the Warriors across seven of the past nine games. However, history tells us that Kerr has no issue with yanking starters out of the rotation, or even doing the opposite by elevating non-rotation players into starting roles.
Based on form so far this season, you could argue Richard deserves minutes over the likes of Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II. Yet removing Podziemski or Hield completely from the rotation would be far more note-worthy and generate more controversy than if it were Richard, while Payton has won himself a few more games in the rotation with a surprise 19-point, 11-rebound performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
We've also got an understanding that strong performances from Richard don't necessarily translate to big minutes the following game. The 22-year-old was one of Golden State's best with 18 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's loss to the Houston Rockets, only to be removed from the starting lineup and play less than 20 minutes against the Pelicans.
It feels inconceivable that Richard could lose his role in the rotation, but these updates on Melton and Curry could bring a classic 'Kerr move' thanks to his notable faith in the veterans and Podziemski.