The Warriors just won another NBA title, led by superstar Stephen Curry, but with Curry at 34 years of age, he and his fellow veterans will need some help if Golden State’s dynasty is to continue.
And of course, general manager Bob Myers, along with team owner Joe Lacob, have already thought of that.
The Warriors, as most know, have multiple young players waiting for larger roles next season. Guard Jordan Poole has already established himself as a key player on the team, and next up, ideally, are first-year players Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, along with 2020 1st-round pick, center James Wiseman.
Myers recently said that all is going according to plan, as the Warriors expect that Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody can play “rotation minutes” in the 2022-23 NBA season.
“After we drafted, somebody joked, you’ve got, like, four 19-year-olds,” Myers said Thursday night. “And we kind of said, yeah, we do. But we do feel like three of the young guys (Wiseman, Moody and Kuminga) … they are young, but we do think they can play in the NBA and give us rotation minutes. … Those are unusually gifted young players. But we still do need to surround the team with vets. And that’s the plan.
The Athletic
Myers went on to say that he believes it’s easier to acquire veterans in free agency, and prospects are hard to come by on the open market. That’s why the draft is so important, even for a championship-ready, veteran-laded roster like Golden State’s.
“… So that’s why we draft some guys like that. We think we still have guys beyond these two. … We do think three of our young guys on our roster can play for us, depending on how Steve (Kerr) wants to use them.”
The Athletic
Myers may have slipped up when he said, “two” instead of “three” young players are ready to join the rotation. It remains to be seen whether Wiseman will ever recover from the meniscus tear in his knee that forced him to miss his second season as a pro. We should know a lot more in the coming weeks, with NBA Summer League basketball on the horizon.
Kuminga and Moody, however, should help immediately. They looked fantastic as rookies, and they are both athletic, tall, “wing” type players that the entire NBA is looking for right now. Importantly, if all three can play rotation minutes for coach Kerr, Curry — along with his fellow OGs, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — can hand some of the regular season load to the youngsters.
That’s the dream, anyway. Thus far, the Warriors are accomplishing what few have, with their NBA title in hand and a bevy of young players waiting in the wings.
Did I mention Summer League is coming up? Before the Warriors roster heads to Las Vegas, they’ll play in the California Clasic at Chase Center on Fourth of July weekend, with the Kings, Heat, and Lakers rosters visiting the Bay Area.
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