Pretty is not always the most practical. A starting quintet with Chris Paul next to the everlasting trident Stephen Curry – Klay Thompson – Draymond Green It is very sweet but, when it was assumed that the Warriors would field all their figures together at the start, Steve Kerr cooled expectations. Aside from Andrew Wiggins, let’s not forget the underrated but essential Kevon Looney, designated to give up his position to CP3.
“We basically have six starters the way I see it, and only five can go out each night,” he stressed yesterday at a press conference. Kerr in statements collected by ESPN, revealing the kind of complicated dilemma he has.
“We have six starters”
Steve KerrWarriors coach
“I haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet… We’re going to try different combinations and take a look. Obviously, all 6 are going to play a lot of minutes. But if this is going to work then everyone has to take it on regardless of who starts and who doesn’t. It will only work if the entire team is convinced,” added the Golden State coach, who will celebrate his birthday in 2024. one of each in front of the whole of the Bay.
Paul next to Curry sounds very good and is what is going to happen during many sections of the games regardless of whether CP3 starts or not, but the Warriors are going to see the seams everywhere in defending, already a chronic problem last season. The California team went from being the second strongest team in the last ring with a defensive rating of 106.6 to only 14th with 113.4.
Kerr, thinking about how to fit Chris Paul
Jeff Chiu/LaPresse
To the fact that neither of the two point guards has ever distinguished themselves for their defensive consistency, there is another logical disadvantage such as the lack of size, which so penalized the Warriors against Anthony Davis in the elimination of Conference Semifinals against the Lakers.
Looney, due to size, rebound and defensive impact, is essential and the same with a differential player on both sides of the court like Andrew Wiggins if the Canadian were the one sacrificed. Not only is it the job that Paul can take on in the offense to offload Curry in the direction or guarantee always having a point guard who gives meaning to the game with the lord of the triples on the bench, it is also minimizing the negative effect of the cons.
Apart from the problem of finding that guarantee game director in the absence of Curry who could not be Jordan Poole Last year, the Warriors believe they have corrected all the deficiencies with the arrivals of two interiors like Dario Saric y Usman Garubawhose incorporation with a two-way contract was made official yesterday by the Warriors.
Both will provide the offensive versatility that was missing in the paint beyond Draymond Green, especially with his outside shot, a weapon that Golden State missed in the series against the Lakers to get Anthony Davis out of the paint, achieving it with small-ball but paying for it in defense with the lack of centimeters.
The General Manager of the Warriors, Mike Dunleavy Jr, He believes they have done all their homework this summer: “I don’t think we have our sights set on anything right now in terms of a point guard, a wing, a young player or a veteran player. We are open, and I think it is a great position (center) in which we have flexibility and evaluate what is best for our team,” explained the executive, successor to Bob Myers after the departure of the architect of the quintessential NBA dynasty of the last decade with four rings.
The ‘Splash Brothers’ will have a luxury partner in the outside game with Chris Paul
José Luis Villegas / LaPresse
However, Dunleavy Jr. seems to remain open to continuing to improve the roster and has important future questions on the table. On the one hand, the Warriors added the 32-year-old veteran yesterday Rodney McGruder -free after not renewing for the Pistons-, and will compete in the preseason for a place on the team, with the Warriors with two roster positions still to fill.
“When you lose in the second round and feel like you’ve had a disappointing year, it’s a lot easier to come in and stay focused,” Kerr acknowledged. “It is much easier for me to come as a coach and be more demanding, and I think the players will expect that too,” added the coach, who, personally, is also coming off a disappointing summer as coach of USA with Team USA’s fourth position in the World Cup.
The continuity of Klay Thompson, without rushing
On the other hand, the San Francisco franchise is also working on the renovation of Klay Thompson, whose contract ends in 2024, although the executive said that no deadline has been set. The idea is to keep him with a long-term contract despite his 33 years, as is already the case with his trio partners, with Stephen Curry with a contract until 2026 and with Draymond Green until 2026 with a player option to renew for one more year.
The ’23’ renewed in the summer for 4 years and 100 million in something that no one would have said after the punch to Jordan Poole that happened a year ago. Even less expected was Chris Paul, with Steve Kerr still thinking about his fit with less than a month to go before the season starts.
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2023-09-26 10:53:40
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