Golden State Warriors: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

3. Patrick McCaw

We have to start this off with the biggest of caveats: Patrick McCaw is still a free agent, entrenched in a mysterious holdout that is verging on becoming a stalemate.

As a restricted free agent, the Warriors still have control over where he plays this season, and if there were an offer out there that they would think twice about matching, he would have likely already signed it. Still, he is not currently on the roster, and is unlikely to start the season with the club.

If and when he returns, he instantly becomes an important rotational piece. The wing rotation is even shallower than last year, with the departure of Nick Young and advancing age of Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. The opportunity will be there for McCaw.

As a rookie in 2016-17, the game appeared slow for McCaw. He had an IQ and court awareness beyond his years, and was able to calmly make decisions under pressure. In Year 2, it was McCaw who seemed slow — over-processing, losing confidence and failing to adjust to a league that had adjusted to him.

As is the case for so many players, Year 3 will be telling. Does McCaw gain assertiveness and adjust to the adjustments, or is he destined to be a 3-and-D wing that can’t really shoot and is too slender to switch? The minutes are there, but the answer will be up to him — if he is a Warrior.