© Kyle Terada | 2018 Sep 24
Four months after raising their third championship trophy in four years, the Golden State Warriors begin their quest Tuesday to become just the third team to three-peat since the 1976 merger. The Warriors are once again the favorites to win the NBA title, and arguably improved this offseason, with the stunning acquisition of six-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.
Still, there are a number of unanswered questions lingering as the new season approaches. Some may play out in the coming weeks, while others will likely remain unanswered until next offseason.
Question #1: Will this be the final season of the core consisting of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green?
For the first time since Durant joined the fold two years ago, there are real questions as to whether this dominant core will be around at this time next season. Most of the questions are centered around Durant himself, who is the only of the four who did not publicly state his desire to stay with the Warriors this summer. What’s more, Marcus Thompson, (who has covered the Warriors in some capacity for over a decade, and is currently writing a book on Durant) said on KNBR last week that he believes KD will leave after this season, and that some individuals in the organization feel the same way.
As he has done the past two years, Durant is expected to not exercise his player option at the conclusion of the season, and hit free agency for the fourth consecutive offseason. Will he choose to stay on board and help open the Warriors’ new arena in San Francisco, where he was the featured guest during the groundbreaking ceremony? Or will he desire a new challenge, perhaps one that doesn’t involve him sharing the spotlight with three other future Hall of Famers, and one of the greatest players in NBA history?
Durant isn’t the only one hitting free agency this offseason. Klay Thompson’s deal is also due to expire, but it seems far less likely he’ll want to leave, based on repeated comments that he’d like to retire with Golden State. If Thompson’s not a member of the Warriors next season, it’ll be because the team chose to move in a different direction. Barring some unforeseen incident, that’s not going to happen, even if it means eating an inflated luxury tax bill.
Question #2: How will DeMarcus Cousins’ presence, both on and off the court, affect the team?
Much to the chagrin of the entire NBA, the Warriors shockingly added another All-NBA talent this offseason in Cousins. The signing does come with an asterisk, however. Cousins is coming off an Achilles injury that knocked him out for the second half of last season, meaning the center may not be game ready until 2019. There also isn’t much precedence for a player of Cousins’ size coming back from an Achilles injury and performing at the same level, though the sample size is small and doesn’t feature a ton of cases from the past decade.
Even with a setback, Cousins should be able to contribute in some manner after the All-Star break. His inclusion will present an interesting challenge for the Warriors, who will now have to figure out how to incorporate an elite-level talent at the center position into their well-oiled machine, something they haven’t done in the Kerr era.
This is a team that could use a challenge, especially during the regular season. The Warriors spent much of the 2017-18 season coasting, treating it as an obligatory 82-game tuneup for the playoffs. With a league that’s arguably weaker this season, that will still largely be the case this year, but Cousins’ fiery presence has the potential to at the very least make things more interesting.
“It’s a good kind of pressure,” Steve Kerr told the San Francisco Chronicle. “You always want the pressure that comes with adding great talent. But more than that, this gives us a new theme for next year. Every year is so different, and I think our team is at the point where our core guys have been doing this for so long, they need challenges, and this is a great challenge for us, to figure out how to play with DeMarcus.”
Cousins also might end up making the Warriors even more of a juggernaut than they already are. Cousins has been arguably the best center in the NBA when healthy over the past half decade. He’s an excellent passer for his size (5.4 assists per game last year) and can stretch the floor in transition (35.4 percent from deep last year), making him a perfect fit for the Warriors’ freewheeling style. Cousins in the half court would be even more devastating. The thought of him in the middle of the paint surrounded by three of the greatest shooters of all time is a mind-boggling prospect.
Even when he’s not on the court, Cousins’ very presence in the locker room may individually make Golden State less apathetic during the first few months of the season. He’ll also serve as a mentor for the Warriors’ three young bigs, each of which are entering seasons that will likely have a sizable impact on their respective NBA futures.
Speaking of which…
Question #3: Which of Jordan Bell, Damian Jones, and Kevon Looney will break out in 2018-19?
Regardless of how the Cousins situation plays out, it is very unlikely he’ll be with the team beyond this season. If Cousins fully recovers and proves to be his dominant self, he’ll be in line for a big contract next offseason, something Golden State will probably not be in a position to afford with Thompson and Durant in line for new deals, and Draymond Green up for one in 2020. If Cousins doesn’t pan out, the Warriors probably won’t have much interest in bringing him back, either.
This is to say that all three of Golden State’s young centers could be auditioning for a starting role in 2019.
The Warriors would like the answer to be Jones, who will start in the season opener on Tuesday. Jones has been a project ever since he was drafted 30th overall in 2016, and the Warriors have until the end of this month to decide whether to pick up his $2.3 million option for next season. At such a low price Golden State may pick it up regardless, but an impressive showing to start the season would all but secure Jones a spot on the team next year.
Of the three, Jones has the most upside, but is still extremely raw, with a total of 174 NBA minutes under his belt. Playing alongside four All-Stars presents an ideal situation for a young center, and if Jones can’t make a significant leap under those circumstances, he’s probably not their starting center of the future.
Looney returns as the most consistent of the three and proved to be a solid contributor during Golden State’s playoff run this year. Looney isn’t near the athlete that Jones is, nor does he have the upside, but the Warriors can trust Looney in big games, something that can’t necessarily be said for Jones or Jordan Bell. A solid contributor in most facets, Looney could separate himself by adding a midrange jumper, or even better, a 3-point shot. Looney will become an unrestricted free agent next season, and if he’s at least as good as he was last year, the Warriors will look to bring him back at a moderate price.
Bell combines Jones’ explosiveness and athleticism with Looney’s defensive switch-ability. With his capacity as a shot-blocker and passer, you can make a case that Bell’s upside is actually the highest of the three, but he must improve his consistency. Bell has a tendency to lose focus and compound mistakes, much to the frustration of Kerr. Of the three, Bell may also prove the hardest to keep, especially if he has a breakout year in 2018. Bell is due to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. He could demand a large offer sheet.
Question #4: Is this the final hurrah for Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston in major roles?
Iguodala turns 35 this season, while Livingston just turned 33. Both returned as key pieces last season after inking new deals, if maybe a little less consistent than in recent years.
Iguodala had a rough regular season in 2017-18, posting the worst 3-point percentage of his career (.282) but delivered once again in the postseason when healthy, which, frankly, is all Golden State is really paying him for. For a team with four All-NBA players, it was a bit concerning how out of sorts the Warriors looked without Iguodala during their series vs. Houston, a series they probably should’ve lost if not for a historic fourth quarter collapse by the Rockets.
Livingston was again solid while playing just 15 minutes per game last year, a role he can probably fill capably for a long time. Both are under contract through 2020, assuming the Warriors exercise Livingston’s third-year option worth $7.6 million.
The Warriors will continue to manage both players’ minutes in order to keep them fresh from the postseason. There will be moments, as there has been during every Golden State playoff run, where either Livingston or Iguodala will need to pick up the All-Stars, hit an open shot, and give the Warriors a spark.
At some point there will be a drop off with these two, and it may well coincide with their contracts expiring in 2020. Until we see that, however, both have more than earned the benefit of the doubt that they’ll be as reliable as ever.
Question #5: How will the Patrick McCaw situation play out?
Leave the weirdest for last.
McCaw’s training camp no-show was bizarre enough, before Marcus Thompson’s report on Saturday that McCaw’s teammates are baffled by his holdout, and have been unable to get ahold of him. While the Warriors would reportedly still welcome McCaw back, at the moment it seems like he may have played his last game in a Golden State uniform.
If that’s the case, it’s a shame because McCaw would be primed for a decent-sized role off the bench in 2018-19, with rookie Jacob Evans not close to ready for a rotation spot. It would give McCaw a perfect opportunity to bounce back from a sophomore slump, and show that he can be a contributor on a championship level team, setting him up for a decent payday next offseason.
For whatever reason, McCaw doesn’t seem interested, and if he doesn’t report soon, expect Golden State to cut ties. All reports indicate that with limited cap room, the Warriors are content to enter the season with just 14 players on their active roster without him.
