1 Warriors player in danger of losing starting job in 2024-25 training camp

Today at 01:33 AM

The Golden State Warriors are defiant in that they are looking to contend for another championship even though they have fallen down the league’s totem pole over the past two seasons. Now, this is not very delusional of them. Any team with Stephen Curry leading the way has a fighting chance of mounting a deep playoff run after all.

Now, the Warriors cannot rely on their old tricks for them to compete for a title. Klay Thompson is gone, which means that the Dubs have to diversify their tactics to make the most out of the new personnel they have at their disposal.

With Thompson’s departure, the Warriors opted to go for quantity over quality. They signed three legitimate rotation players in De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson in addition to having multiple depth pieces at key positions. This further muddles the state of the Warriors rotation, as they have as many as 12 players vying for around nine to 10 rotation spots.

It’s a guarantee that a few Warriors players will have to make sacrifices for the team to work. But this sacrifice won’t just be limited to the fringes of the rotation. Head coach Steve Kerr may have to make some changes to the starting lineup as well to optimize the roster he has.

Here is the Warriors player who is in most danger of losing his starting job for the 2024-25 season.

Analyzing the Warriors’ potential 2024-25 starting lineup

Only two players are guaranteed a spot in the Warriors’ starting lineup. Stephen Curry walks into the starting five of all 30 teams in the NBA, while Draymond Green, despite his penchant for off-court troubles, remains the glue that holds the team together. Last year, the Warriors went 33-22 with Green in the lineup and 13-14 without him, which shows just how important his two-way contributions are to the team’s success.

It remains to be seen who the three players alongside Curry and Green in the Warriors’ starting lineup will be. Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga look like locks to start, and perhaps they are. Wiggins was a crucial member of the Warriors’ championship-winning 2022 squad, but he has struggled over the past two seasons. Nonetheless, his size and 3-and-D skillset makes him an invaluable member of the team, and perhaps some positive regression is in order for the 29-year-old forward.

Meanwhile, Kuminga turned heads last season with his ability to put the ball through the basket. He averaged 16.1 points last year on efficient shooting from the field, and he ended up earning a starting role to end the season. The Warriors held him out of trade talks for a star player such as Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, so it figures as though he’ll be playing a large role for the team moving forward.

Green, however, noted that Kuminga’s skillset doesn’t make him particularly effective at the four. The Warriors can slide Wiggins down to the two and Kuminga down to the three, but that will clog the Dubs’ spacing, which is far from what Kerr would want. At least to begin the year, it’s looking like Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney will be playing a bench role, with Wiggins, Kuminga, and Green starting on the frontcourt alongside Curry.

This leaves the shooting guard position up for grabs, and at this point, it’s not quite clear which Kerr prefers to start among Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, and Buddy Hield.

Brandin Podziemski may not start to begin the season

Preseason is not exactly indicative of a team’s regular-season plans. But it’s certainly telling that Melton earned a start for the Warriors during their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Warriors have spoken highly of De’Anthony Melton throughout training camp; he has earned rave reviews for his defense, and he could space the floor as well, having shot nearly 37 percent from three on healthy volume throughout the course of his career. At this stage of Stephen Curry’s career, the Warriors would prefer not to tax him on the defensive end, and having Melton in the starting lineup gives the Warriors a point-of-attack defender against opposing ballhandlers.

As high as expectations may have been for Brandin Podziemski, he might start the season on a bench role. Nevertheless, this should not be taken as a slight. Podziemski has the skillset to lead the second unit, acting as the de facto point guard whenever Curry and Draymond Green are not on the floor.

Melton as the starting shooting guard for the Warriors makes sense, only for the two-way balance he brings to a deep Dubs rotation.

The post 1 Warriors player in danger of losing starting job in 2024-25 training camp appeared first on ClutchPoints.