Mid-summer Warriors mailbag

Some more questions and answers.

Not a lot is happening with the Golden State Warriors these days. In fact, the most exciting stuff surrounding the team is what’s going on in Paris, where Steph Curry and Steve Kerr are preparing to fight for an Olympic gold medal (check out Team USA’s schedule here!).

Seemed like a good time for a mailbag. Thanks to everyone for the questions!

I think it depends on what you mean by “true contenders.” Would I put the Warriors, with Lauri Markkanen, in the same tier as the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves? Not at the start of the season, no.

But no one would have put the 2021-22 Warriors there, either, and they finished 24 games above .500, ran through the Western Conference Playoffs, and won the NBA Finals.

So I think if the Dubs swapped Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody for Markkanen that they would fall into the “prove it” bucket, wherein I wouldn’t be surprised if they become true contenders ... but I’m not giving them the benefit of the doubt, either.

I think it has to be Trayce Jackson-Davis. He was too good last year, and with Klay Thompson gone — and Andrew Wiggins a fairly large question mark — the Warriors simply need TJD’s offense far more than they need Kevon Looney’s defense.

I doubt that Jackson-Davis plays true starter minutes, but I think he needs to be the starter.

If I had to guess, I’d say they’re done. But one thing’s for sure: they’re not resigned to that fate just yet. The Warriors are still pushing for a Lauri Markkanen trade, and they’ll push for a trade involving any other star if they’re even moderately available.

Should reports surface that Karl-Anthony Towns is unhappy, you can bet that Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be on the phone with Minnesota daily, if not hourly. If the rumors return that NOLA is shopping Brandon Ingram, then the Dubs will get involved.

Most ideas fall through and most trade targets never materialize. So the Warriors being done with their large moves is the most likely scenario. But they’ll definitely try to find another big move ... or two.

Kind of impossible to say without seeing what they settle on for the starting lineup. At first glance though, I have a few thoughts. I think Buddy Hield has to be in there for his burst of offense. And I think Kevon Looney has to be the big, because, as mentioned in the last question, I think Trayce Jackson-Davis will start. And then you need a playmaker, which I think should be Brandin Podziemski ... even if he starts, you can stagger his minutes with Steph Curry enough that he can lead the second unit.

So, Podziemski, Hield, Looney (or Quinten Post, if he proves worthy), and then two out of Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton.

Is that too much of a cop-out answer?

As for Steve Kerr giving them more games ... to me, this is just a more stable roster than last year. That doesn’t mean it will be better, but I think roles will be easier for Kerr and the coaching staff to define. Will there be tweaks as players out or underperform expectations? Definitely, especially as youngsters grow. But I think the bulk of the lineup instability will be in the final roster spots, not in the core 11 players.

Steve Kerr has been pretty transparent about this. Terry Stotts is here, in large part, to help the offense evolve. And Jerry Stackhouse is here, in large part, to give the team a more relatable, former player on the bench.

I don’t expect to see the defense too revamped, but I do think we’ll see a fairly updated offense when all is said and done. After all, in Stotts’ final year as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland was second in the NBA in garbage-time adjusted offensive rating, despite having a roster that did not stand out on paper. Stotts has some tremendous motion offense-centered philosophies, and they can really help refresh the Dubs’ scheme.

It’s hard to say the team’s window is still open, but it was also hard to say that before the 2021-22 season. Ultimately, as long as you have one of the 10 best players in the NBA, you have an open window if things break correctly. Steph Curry is still a top-10 player ... arguably even top-five. Things need to break correctly, whether it’s everything clicking, youngsters taking leaps, or a trade falling into their laps. But I’m not ready to count them out.

In short bursts I’d say anything that has a frontcourt of Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, as well as obviously having Steph Curry. I’d go those three plus Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield, and assume the high-octane offense and ability to outrun big teams makes up for the defensive inefficiencies.

In longer bursts, it has to be Curry alongside a backcourt of Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, I think. If the old Andrew Wiggins returns, put him in there alongside De’Anthony Melton or Moses Moody and let them cook.

A lot depends on what version of Wiggins the Warriors get, as well as on whether or not Kuminga has a reliable three-point shot next year.