This Golden State Warriors season will be a challenge for Steve Kerr unlike almost any in recent memory.
Sure, the rotation likely won't be as depleted as we saw it at the end of 2025-26. But as Kerr continues to try to maximize this rotation, especially with the major deficit on the interior created by the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, it's going to take continuous tweaks and adjustments on his part to even bring this team close to a competitive stature.
That means that, apart from Stephen Curry of course, almost no one's role is set in stone after just one game.
Will Richard is on the edge of the rotation for a reason. As promising as he looked during his rookie campaign, especially for the 56th overall pick in the draft, he simply isn't a consistent enough perimeter shooter or an overall offensive player to bring into the fold over a veteran like Georges Niang. But the upside is certainly still there for Richard, as he proved in the preseason.
If Niang wants to hang onto his minutes, he's going to need to consistently produce for the Warriors as a 3-point shooter and a screen setter, making himself integral to Golden State's bench unit. If he can't, don't think that Richard doesn't have a chance to claw back some of his minutes over the course of this campaign.
Will Richard is going to be pushing for a rotational role as long as the Warriors' small-ball strategies are still in flux
Again, Richard was great—at least relative to expectations—during his rookie season. On top of operating as a viable and energetic perimeter defender, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while knocking down 46.8% of his shots from the field across 69 games.
Of course, the team would've liked to see more production from beyond the arc, or at least more confidence in getting those shots off, from the rookie. But beggars can't always be choosers—especially in the sort of scenarios the Warriors found themselves in.
Richard obviously will never be a primary option for the Warriors, and there's a real chance he never finds himself with those same sort of starting opportunities again in Golden State. But he proved across the Warriors' preseason slate that there's still a lot to be unlocked for him offensively. Across those six games, Richard shot 53.3% from beyond the arc and generally looked aggressive getting downhill and playing his part in Golden State's offensive attack.
But for now, Niang is clearly their best option for extensive minutes. He's a career 39.8% shooter from beyond the arc, and that number bumps up beyond the 40% threshold if you exclude his first two seasons. He's also had experience in a number of different systems across the NBA, and that gives him an advantage over Richard in terms of acclimating to the demands of the Warriors' new offensive scheme.
Ignoring the second half of the matchup against the Lakers (which was skewed because of the blowout), Niang saw 14 minutes in the first half of the Warriors' opener while Richard saw just over five. That's likely to be the landscape of things in this early part of the season,
None of this will change because of one game. But Niang did go 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in his Warriors debut, and it's reasonable to think that an extended slow stretch from the veteran could entice Kerr to work Richard into the rotation on a more consistent basis. At the very least, Richard will be pushing for that opportunity in every practice and game the Warriors have this season.
If Niang can't consistently perform in the role the Warriors have set aside for him, perhaps Richard will be able to find his way back into Kerr's good graces.
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