The NBA preseason used to be hard to watch. Literally. It was difficult, if not impossible, to see actual footage. I remember pouring over articles and box scores, trying to make sense out the tea leaves – with just about as much success.
But maybe there is something worth taking away from these preseason games. Reggie Williams went on to spend a solid seven seasons in the NBA. Anthony Randolph and Ekpe Udoh eventually became champions (overseas), but preseason excitement is generally more fun than it is fundamental to winning. Team success in this league tends to be more strongly correlated with the top of the rotation chart.
Here’s the thing though: sometimes the preseason is “hard to watch” in a more spiritual sense. Ugly discombubulated robot offense and marginal players trying to make a name for themselves and succeeding, but in the wrong way.
This iteration of the Golden State Warriors is fun to watch this preseason. Sure, there are players jockeying for position, but coach Steve Kerr has got the team generally aligned and the shots are falling.
It’s going to matter soon.
Early game tonight as the Golden State Warriors open up the doors of Chase to the Detroit Pistons. Andrew Wiggins will still be out, but is reportedly expected back in the upcoming week.
WHAT: Detroit Pistons (2-1) at Golden State Warriors (3-0)
WHEN: Sunday, October 13th, 2024; 5:30pm PST
WATCH: NBCSBA
First, since it’s Sunday, let’s start from a place of gratitude. This team is even marginally in the national conversation mostly because of Stephen Curry. Let’s all take a moment for thanks and whatever level of praise you are personally comfortable with…
His finger is fine (x-rays were reportedly negative after leaving the last game with a jammed finger). Ironically, it was that scare that opened the door for Moses Moody’s big night. Moody is one of a cavalcade of weapons that the Warriors will be trotting out from deep this season, where they seem to be looking for a sort of group volume approach to shots rather than heavy reliance on the lone remaining Splash Brother.
Kerr wasn’t shy about the math of it all, and for those who look closely at this roster’s lack of size throughout their prospective rotation it makes a lot of sense.
“The math just doesn’t add up (if you don’t take a bunch),” Kerr said. “Especially for us. We’re not a team that gets to the free-throw line much. It’d be hard for us to win a lot of games unless we shoot a high volume of 3s.”
There’s a little lie by omissions in there as well. Kerr is being generous by just pointing at the free throw line issue. Golden State is likely to be high up on the leaderboards in both turnovers, and rebounding could be an issue depending on what lineup combinations end up being viable or not.
Buddy Hield and D’Anthony Melton might not always be the answer. Nor can you definitely rely on Jonathan Kuminga to carry the team every night. But it feels like the Warriors have a roster with a bunch of options.
Moody’s impressive 23-point performance was just the latest example. Maybe instead of Strength in Numbers, the motto might switch to something like Success by Volume. Kuminga was more than solid in that last game too. 19 points (on eight shots) and 7 rebounds.
Kyle Anderson started of 2-2 from deep, and Hield made an electric running one-legged three that was definitely ill-advised, and definitely the super fun sort of irresponsible that I have a whole lot of appetite for in the preseason. Remember that in the proof of concept phase, consistency doesn’t matter.
To be fair, there are significantly more questions than answers for this team. Anytime anything happens to Curry, the hearts of Dub Nation lurch in unison. Wiggins hasn’t played a single game yet, and I don’t think even Draymond Green know’s what the team will get from Green this season. Leadership is perhaps out the window, so I’d settle for reliability and on-court impact – but who knows.
But if you can choose, why not pick the positive side of the unknown? Focus on Brandin Podziemski’s 9 points, not his 6 turnovers! If preseason is about establishing proof of concept, I find myself firmly in the pews with the believers. For a Warriors franchise that missed the ployoffs last year, the bar is a bit lower – but I still believe that you can get any roster with Curry on it into the post season and roll the dice quite happily.
This team has hope. Win or lose, it’s been a good preseason. Still, it will be a win. For sure. The tea leaves tell me so. Or maybe they say preseason doesn’t matter; I’m not sure.
