Golden State Warriors NBA Preview: Moving On Without Klay Thompson

When the Golden State Warriors open their season Wednesday night on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, the team is going to have a new look to it.

Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson moved on to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade this past summer. This ends Thompson’s brilliant 13-year run in Northern California. It also breaks up the ‘Splash Brothers” tandem, with Stephen Curry now having to fend for himself.

This is a major backdrop for Golden State as it enters what promises to be a franchise-defining season. Last season saw the Warriors miss out on the playoffs for the third time in five years. Their dynasty that included four NBA titles during an eight-year span is now a thing of the past.

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. looked to pull off a blockbuster trade to find Curry another star this past offseason. Nothing came to fruition on that end. Instead, Golden State added depth to the mix without finding an All-Star caliber player.

In a Western Conference that is absolutely loaded, the Warriors have seemingly fallen behind others. In no way does this mean Golden State can’t contend. Here, I preview the Warriors’ 2024-25 season in an in-depth manner.

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New Additions For The Golden State Warriors

One thing the Warriors have going for themselves is depth. They were able to turn the Thompson sign-and-trade into multiple additions, including guard Buddy Hield and veteran forward Kyle Anderson.

The Warriors also added De’Anthony Melton in free agency while pulling off a trade for the underrated Lindy Waters. Let’s take a look at these additions.

Buddy Hield

No one is going to mistake Hield for prime Klay Thompson. The Warriors are not asking for that after acquiring him in a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the larger Thompson deal.

What we do know is that Hield can shoot the ball. He’s actually made just 18 fewer three-pointers than Curry since the start of the 2018-19 season.

“The gravity I pose on the court,” Hield said earlier in October. “You gotta keep a body to me and continuity just makes the offense flow and I'm a scorer that can be (an) outside threat and maybe get a couple of — sneak in a couple of lays, layups here and there. But just being an outside threat.”

Over the past six seasons, Hield is averaging 16.8 points on 40 percent shooting from distance. Per Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, he’s going to be the sixth man off the bench. It’s a role that will suit Hield, especially with the Warriors looking for points when Curry is resting.

Kyle Anderson

A 10-year NBA veteran, Anderson might be best known for his sloth-like shooting motion. This doesn’t mean that he has not proven to be a valuable contributor in the NBA. Solid defense coupled with an ability to distribute the ball from the frontcourt could loom large for the Warriors.

Over the course of his two-year run with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anderson averaged 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He’s not going to be a major outside shooting threat. But Anderson’s all-around game fits the Warriors well.

De’Anthony Melton

Melton, 26, surprisingly came over to the Warriors in free agency at the mid-level exception of $12.8 million. Most figured that the still-young guard would be able to land a multi-year deal on the open market. Instead, he’s banking on himself to return to form in 2024-25.

The former second-round pick out of USC is averaging 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 38 percent shooting from distance over the past three seasons. He has the ability to play both guard spots, which will provide the Warriors some flexibility off the bench.

Lindy Waters

Underrated in the grand scheme of things, Waters was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft for a second-round pick. The idea for Golden State was to bring in more depth and find someone who can play immediately.

Despite seeing limited playing time during his three-year run with Oklahoma City, Waters displayed flashes. He shot 44 percent from three-point range this past season. If nothing else, Waters can spread the floor as a deep bench option.

Golden State Warriors Preview: Stephen Curry And The Core Group

It’s nice that the Warriors were able to bring in four solid bench options given their financial situation. But let’s not read too much into it. This team is going to go only as far as the core group takes it.

Obviously, that starts with a player in Curry who is entering his 16th season with the organization. Curry, 36, has not lost a step. The all-time great and future Hall of Famer continues to play at a high level. He averaged 26.4 points to go with 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 41 percent shooting from three-point range last season.

Outside of Curry’s advanced age and the possibility that he’ll miss some time due to injury, Draymond Green’s presence is going to be important this season. He’s been at the forefront of drama in recent years. But the four-time champion is now looking to put this behind him and have some more fun.

He points to the tragic passing of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević this past January as one of the reasons he’s changing his tune.

“When Deki passed last season, you see all the pictures of everybody and stuff. And I realized, ‘All of the pictures, you’re not in none of them because you got bored with everything else,’ ” Green said, via Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“So, all the moments everybody’s enjoying, ‘All right. Got to do this. Got to do that. Got to go get my body ready. Got to do this.’ And you forget to enjoy it. So, then it just turns into the grind. So, for me that was just a big reminder that you are missing the fun part of it. So, everything you’re doing is just to prepare to get ready. You’re missing the fun part of it.”

If Green is all in and avoids the multiple lengthy suspensions we saw last season, it’s only going to be a boon for the Warriors. He’s still among the best all-around defenders in the game and remains an elite-level passer on the other end of the floor.

The Andrew Wiggins Equation

Wiggins played a huge role in Golden State’s surprise run to the NBA title back in 2022. Since then, it’s been a mixed bag for the veteran wing. He’s dealt with personal stuff off the court. That has led to Wiggins missing extensive time over the past two seasons. A total of 56 games to be precise.

It’s also in this that Wiggins’ production has lacked compared to the earlier stages of his tenure with the Warriors. He averaged a career-low 13.2 points per game a season ago. Compare that to an average of 17.2 points during the Warriors’ title run, and there has to be some concern.

The backdrop here includes Wiggins being heavily involved in trade rumors during the summer. His average salary of $27.25 million complicated things in that regard. Now that Wiggins is set to be a member of the Warriors, it’s time to move on from these struggles of the past two seasons.

“The conditioning is looking better and better every day. The rhythm. I trust Wiggs. It’s been a tough year and a half for him for a number of reasons. But he’s a guy who has won a championship and played an enormous role in that championship,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said recently, via the San Jose Mercury News. “Been a 20-point scorer in the league. We know what Wiggs can do, and I think we’re going to get a really good version of him this year.”

Golden State better hope it gets the best version of Wiggins in 2024-25. There certainly is not a lot of margin for error when it comes to this roster.

Warriors Continue “Two Timeline” Approach

The Warriors have been criticized for attempting to run with a two-timeline approach over the past two seasons. That is to say, relying on the likes of Curry, Green and Thompson to do their thing while giving youngsters an advanced amount of playing time.

That’s going to be no different in 2024-25. The expectation is that the 22-year old Jonathan Kuminga will start in the frontcourt with sophomore Brandin Podziemski replacing Thompson as the two-guard next to Curry. I am also expecting more play for young guard Moses Moody after he signed a three-year, $39 million extension ahead of opening night.

All three of these players have shown flashes in their young careers. Primarily, Kuminga has looked like a star in the making at times. He averaged nearly 20 points to go with 5.6 rebounds and a 38 percent mark from three-point range over the final 37 games last season. Despite this, Kuminga and the Warriors were unable to come to terms on an extension ahead of opening night.

Golden State’s brass pushed back against including either Podziemski or Kuminga in a blockbuster trade for a star this past summer. The onus is on both to now take on larger roles as the dynamics of the Warriors’ roster continues to change.

Bottom Line For Golden State Warriors In 2024-25

Are the Warriors legitimate contenders to come out of a tough Western Conference in 2024-25? No. Fresh off losing in the NBA Play-In Tournament, this has the feel of a bottom-end playoff team.

If everything comes together, I could see Golden State winning 50 games. That’s the best-case scenario. It’s going to be all about how the youngsters perform and the rotations Kerr decides to utilize. He’s been criticized in this regard in the recent past.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors finally pulled off a blockbuster deal ahead of the in-season trade deadline to get Curry more help. He’s been loyal to the organization. He just signed another extension. He’s entering the twilight of his career. Some say that they owe it to him to go all in.

For now, Golden State heads into the 2024-25 season a tier behind the top-end contenders in the Western Conference.

• Prediction: 48-34 record, 6th in Western Conference — lose to Minnesota Timberwolves in first round