The 2019-20 NBA season will be a test of fortitude for the Golden State Warriors — not only for the players that now take part on this roster, but also the front office, which was tasked with retooling the team after the departure of Kevin Durant.
The injury to Klay Thompson and a big-time move to a state-of-the-art arena in the Chase Center, leaving the confines of Oracle Arena, a venue with a bevy of history and endless memories through a five-year championship run. The Warriors will once again get back to being the underdog that they were starting the 2014-15 season, one that saw them thrive with a groundbreaking motion offense and stellar shooting.
This is what you can expect the Warriors to look like on the season-opener, barring any health setbacks:
| Position | Starter | Backup | Reserve | Reserve |
| PG | Stephen Curry | Jacob Evans | ||
| SG | D'Angelo Russell | Alec Burks | Jordan Poole | Damion Lee |
| SF | Alfonzo McKinnie | Glenn Robinson III | ||
| PF | Draymond Green | Eric Paschall | Omari Spellman | Alen Smailagic |
| C | Willie Cauley-Stein | Kevon Looney |
Inactive: Klay Thompson (SG/SF).
The Starters:
PG: Stephen Curry will have a heavy load to carry, with plenty of attention focused on him and his perimeter game.
While many are expecting an MVP-type performance through the course of the season, he could achieve this not only be leading the league in scoring, but potentially by racking up assists due to the constant double teams and traps he will see through the course of the season. If he can stay sharp and limit his turnovers, the sky is the limit for the former two-time MVP.
SG: There are many adjustments D'Angelo Russell will have to make upon coming into a new system, but none are more important than his defense.
It's tough enough to replace an elite marksman like Thompson, but the Warriors will need some consistency at the defensive end to stay afloat. At 6-foot-5 and 198 pounds, Russell should be able to hold his own against most guards, but it's unlikely that he will have Thompson's versatility to switch onto any perimeter threat. If he proves a consistent outside shooter and develops his finishing ability at the rim, he can be a true asset for this team.
SF: Alfonzo McKinnie has had a rollercoaster road, going from being a former training camp invite to a starter in the span of a year. However, the Warriors will need him to fill in for Klay Thompson on his would-be new position.
If McKinnie can shoot the three better than the 35.6% he mustered last season, the Warriors can really favor from strong minutes with him on the floor. Already an outstanding offensive rebounder, his defense must improve if he hopes to get solid playing time at the small forward position.
PF: So much of the Warriors' defense will run through Draymond Green's innate ability to be in all places at once.
Besides his new-found eating and exercising regime that should have him injury free and ready to go once the ball tips off, Green's most important role would be to develop a partnership with his new frontcourt mate Willie Cauley-Stein, who has greatly underperformed defensively for a 7-footer with such athletic dexterity.
C: The aforementioned Cauley-Stein has a lot to prove with this minimum deal with Golden State. The former Kentucky product will have to evolve into a defensive presence and a lob-catching machine playing next to a demanding Draymond Green.
His ceiling is high, but it does depend on his work ethic and his ability to soak in mentorship from a veteran squad. WCS pulled down a career-high 8.4 rebounds last season through 81 games with the Sacramento Kings, but has yet to average a block per game since his rookie season in 2015-16.
The Bench:
The biggest change in the bench is the Warriors' apparent decision to turn Jacob Evans into a point guard. The Cincinnati product played only 30 games with the Warriors last season, logging only one start. He averaged only 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in mostly garbage time, but his offensive awareness has greatly improved since. Rookie Jordan Poole showed his scoring ability in Summer League, but the Warriors are internally mulling molding him into a playmaker. Whoever winds up playing the role better will wind up with those immediate minutes backing up Curry.
Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III could be fighting for minutes early on. Burks has proved more during his injury-laden NBA career, but if Robinson can prove to pull off the shooting acumen he had in his time in Indiana, he could quickly creep up the list of Steve Kerr's favorite options to come off the bench. Damion Lee is once again an outside choice that could see minutes at either guard position in case of an injury.
Kevon Looney is still largely expected to be the anchor of the defense behind Green, but likely closing games out with him due to a strong rapport and plenty of championship experience playing next to the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Eric Paschall has some good upside as a points and boards guy, but it will be his intangibles that either keep him on the floor or leave him on the bench for longer. His Villanova-mate Omari Spellman still needs to work himself back into playing shape while Alen Smailagic will need some core development, but will undoubtedly get a chance to play as the season goes on.
Where do the Warriors fall in a crowded West?
With the era of superteams almost fully gone, the Warriors remain the only team in the league that could muster potentially four All-Star players in the same starting lineup when it's all said and done. Golden State will have to wait a while to be at full strength, which makes every game of the regular season much more important than it has been in the past. With the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and the Portland Trail Blazers likely shooting for playoff spots, there is only a couple of seeds available for Golden State to take in a crowded conference.
Don't expect any team in the West to crack 60 wins or anywhere close to it due to the level of competition. The Warriors will have to hold off aspiring teams like the San Antonio Spurs, the Sacramento Kings, and potentially the Dallas Mavericks this season to carve a spot in the postseason.
Conference leaders will likely fall in the mid-to-low 50s in wins, so 48 wins will have the Warriors around the fifth of sixth spot with the chance to pull off some first-round upsets once they are at full strength.
The Klay Thompson factor
The Warriors' season could hinge on the recovery timeline of Klay Thompson, who suffered a torn ACL during Game 6 of the NBA Finals and is expecting to come back around the All-Star break, which could be late February or early March. Those couple of weeks could be vital to Golden State's playoff chances and his acclimation into a new system that now no longer features Kevin Durant and instead has D'Angelo Russell at his normal shooting guard position.
Thompson will have to transition into a more demanding position at small forward, asked to rebound the ball more and take on even bigger bodies in a constant basis. While his elite-caliber shooting should be an automatic plus for the team, the concern will be on his mobility and adjusting to playing a new position instead of enjoying the backcourt next to longtime partner Stephen Curry.
From his eventual return date to his minutes allocation to his all-around progress after returning from injury — all of these factors play a massive role for the Warriors and could be the difference of whether they can muster a middle-of-the-pack spot or have to claw their way for one of the last few left up for grabs.
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