The Golden State Warriors began preseason action with consecutive wins over the Washington Wizards in Tokyo. But returning home undefeated is hardly what had Steve Kerr smiling after his team erased a halftime deficit to defeat the Wizards 104-95 as the NBA's Japan Games came to a close.

Sunday's second-half comeback came with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney all watching from the bench, handing the reins to a bench unit spearheaded by the Warriors' ever-promising young core.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. stood out again, splashing four threes while showing what Kerr called “great feel” on both sides of the ball. Jonathan Kuminga was a menace defensively, Moses Moody played with the two-way poise that has him currently earmarked as Golden State's first wing off the bench and Mac McClung staked a forceful claim for the Warriors' 15th and final roster spot. Quiet nights from James Wiseman and Ryan Rollins did nothing to blunt excitement gleaned from the collective performance of Golden State's young players.

The present, obviously, is very bright in the Bay Area. But pretty much every time they take the floor, the Warriors' next generation is proving the long-term future should be plenty sunny, too. One of the main reasons why? The culture of communication and mentorship fostered by the likes of Curry, Green and Andre Iguodala.

“I think the communication between our vets and our younger guys is a product of the character of our older players. They're great people,” Kerr said of the Warriors' veterans. “They really want to mentor the younger players. They want to give them every chance to succeed in the NBA. That just comes from being good people.”

It's easy to forget now that there were widespread calls before and throughout last season for Golden State to push its chips in for another star. Bob Myers even admitted this summer that Curry and Green had inquired about trading for an impact player, mortgaging the future in the process. Management stood strong, though, confident the Warriors would be able to compete for a championship in 2021-22 while holding onto their prized young players.

Clearly, that vision has come to perfect fruition. Golden State enters this season with a legitimate chance to repeat as champions, but will surely fall short of that goal unless players like Moody and Kuminga prove they're ready for regular rotation roles in the postseason The preseason is no surefire indicator either way, and the Warriors have the next seven months to figure out their rotation before their title defense begins in earnest come playoff time.

Early returns, though, are objectively encouraging.