A majority of fans were expecting the Golden State Warriors to make a splash in the off-season this past summer, but nothing ever materialized. Instead, they only added minor pieces to compliment the existing players on the roster. With first year head coach Steve Kerr taking over the reigns on the sideline and implementing a new offense, the Warriors will need to adapt to it quickly, but after being together for a couple of years, this team should grasp the new offense in no time.
David Lee was once rumored to be on the trading block this 0ff-season, but he is entering his 10th season in the league prepared to be a big part of this Warriors team. This will be the 5th year that Lee will suit up for the Warriors and according to NBA.com, he’s looking forward to playing with the same core group of players and improve on their first round exit from a year ago:
I think it’s huge, yeah. I think first of all it’s a sign of things getting better. If you’re winning 25-30 games there’s going to be constant change. We’ve finally been very consistent these last couple years in winning games and I think that’s how players stick around and how teams stick around. I think using San Antonio as a model, when you have those core guys together year in and year out, I think the familiarity can really help, especially in pressure situations and close games. We’re going to have a lot of those pieces back this year and I think we made great additions in the pieces spoken about, and I think that’s going to be a really helpful thing. Although we have new coaching staff and some new system stuff to learn, with the basketball IQ of this team that won’t be difficult.
The two time All-Star has looked good so far in their first two pre-season games. Lee spent a lot of time in the off-season working on his shot and so far it is evident that he’s a much better shooter than last season. Steve Kerr has come in and installed a new offense and has put an emphasis on ball movement and getting the big guys more involved offensively. The team is still working to master the offense, but it already looks much better than last season.
Kerr wanted a power forward who can stretch the floor and Lee has done of a good job of adding that dimension to his game. The Warriors are not going to surprise anyone anymore, their coming into this season with a loaded squad and high expectations. They have been together long enough to understand the NBA season is a grind and it’s going to take a collective effort for them to make a deep post-season run.