Before every season, no matter the sport, every team has a buzzword. It appears the Warriors' version this season will be "balance."
The Warriors are built to win now. Steph Curry just played like an NBA MVP, Klay Thompson is expected to return after missing the last two seasons to leg injuries and Draymond Green rounds out Golden State's original Big Three. So, some were a bit surprised to see them use both of their lottery picks in the draft, and use them on Jonathan Kuminga (18) and Moses Moody (19).
But in free agency, additions like bringing Andre Iguodala back to the Bay and signing veterans Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica create the kind of balance that excites coach Steve Kerr.
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"I think this year's team will offer a much better mix of mentors and veterans to go along with those young guys," Kerr said to Monte Poole on the latest Dubs Talk podcast. "I think we'll have more continuity this coming season than we've had since our championship teams, and a much clearer sense of who's ready to play and who's not."
"It's real exciting to think of the structure of the team and the balance and what we can accomplish," Kerr later said.
With new faces on the coaching staff, as well as youngsters like Kuminga, Moody and James Wiseman, there will be a big focus on development. The idea is that it won't lean too far that way, and this team still can have championship aspirations that will set themselves up for a strong future.
The question now is, where do these Warriors stack up in the loaded Western Conference?
Golden State Warriors
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"It's really hard to gauge where we are against the rest of the Western Conference," Kerr said. "Obviously there's a lot of great teams. We haven't even had a practice to put the group together. But I'm very excited about the potential.
"It feels to me like we're gonna be back in a situation where we can compete on a nightly basis, and just knowing that is exciting. But we've got a lot of work ahead to prove that."
Curry, Thompson, Green and Iguodala back together? Kerr likes that group's chances, and it's easy to see why. Just look at the past as Kerr and the rest of the Warriors get excited about the near future.