With training camp now just a week away, the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of a critical period as they look to bounce back to the playoffs after their absence last season.
The roster depth appears to be both a blessing and a curse, with it likely leading to a genuine battle for roles and minutes during training camp and preseason, but also causing headaches for Steve Kerr which could lead to frustration among fans.
3 players who could disappoint for the Warriors this season
The battle for playing time will leave some on the outer -- 14 doesn't go into a 10-man rotation assuming Golden State at least start the season relatively healthy. Gui Santos and Lindy Waters III, both on non-guaranteed contracts, may be starting behind the eight ball, but otherwise there could be realistic expectation on almost every player to earn genuine minutes.
With expectation comes disappointment, and that will be the reality for a few players whose role doesn't match what they may have envisaged. Let's look at three players who could end up disappointing fans this upcoming season:
3. Moses Moody
Surely this is the year right? After three seasons of limited playing time and a short leash given by Kerr, many think this is the season Moses Moody finally blossoms into the player he's shown capable of being.
There's reasons to believe in that -- the Warriors held a better net rating when Moody was on the floor last season, he played significantly better in the games where he played more than 20 minutes, and the departure of Klay Thompson opens up a need for a three-and-D wing.
Yet many also held the same faith entering last season, only for the minutes to continue fluctuating even by the end of it. At what point do we give up an accept that it will never happen for Moody at the Warriors, or more specifically under Kerr?
Perhaps some have already reached that point, but for others there were enough signs last season, not to mention the hope of another productive offseason for a young player. That hope could lead to more disappointment, albeit that could be directed just as much at Kerr rather than Moody himself.
2. Kevon Looney
In a list of the most disappointing Golden State players last season, Kevon Looney would have only sat behind fellow veteran Andrew Wiggins. The 3x champion's 2022-23 season was spectacular, having averaged career-highs in points, rebounds and assists, earning votes in the NBA's Most Improved Player award, and perhaps most notably outplaying Domantas Sabonis in the first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.
While many expected that form would continue last season, it quickly became evident that the workload over recent years was taking its toll. The combination of Draymond Green and Looney became unplayable offensively, leading to the latter's removal from the starting lineup.
The emergence of rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis also limited Looney's role over the second half of the season. All in all he saw nearly eight minutes less per game, with his numbers unsurprisingly down across the board.
So there shouldn't be too much expectation on Looney entering this season right? Well the 28-year-old has recently put himself on notice to a degree, stating that he's ready to shoot more threes after taking a total of three across the past three seasons.
It's a risk worth taking, and one that could revolutionize Looney's value if successful. But outside the very notable case of current Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, how many big men have been able to revamp their game this deep into their career?
The chances are that Looney's shooting may be more gimmick than something overly effective, potentially providing more disappointment for the 10-year veteran this season.
1. Buddy Hield
After losing franchise legend Klay Thompson, the Warriors moved quickly to acquire Buddy Hield in what proved the same sign-and-trade that sent the 5x All-Star to the Dallas Mavericks.
Even if he's unlikely to be Golden State's starting shooting guard, Hield is still seen as an obvious replacement for Thompson just in terms of the sheer volume of three-point shooting. No one has more triples than Hield (1,322) over the past five seasons, with he and Stephen Curry (1,264) well ahead of the third-placed Damian Lillard (1,101).
There's an expectation that Hield will come in and immediately fill a prominent role, but there's also a world in which he disappoints and falls out of the rotation altogether. The 31-year-old is coming off his worst year since his second season, having transitioned from starter with the Indiana Pacers to a bench player that was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February.
Hield did show what he's still capable of with 20 points in the final game of Philadelphia's first-round series loss to the New York Knicks, but he also played less than 30 total minutes across the first five games which included two DNP's in Games 4 and 5.
There are genuine concerns regarding Hield's defense and overall fit in the Warrior system. If those concerns develop into legitimate issues once the season begins, the Warriors are deep enough at the shooting guard/small forward position to suggest that Kerr could move past Hield as a primary rotation player fairly quickly.
