Golden State Warriors Goal No. 3: Begin to phase in youth
It’s obvious that the franchise is not going to be turned over to Wiseman this season. That might not even happen the year after next. But at some point the front office of the Warriors is going to have to contend with the fact that their title window is closed, and that their star players have aged beyond their primes.
Curry is 32, while Green is 30. You would think Curry will come back and pick up where he left off, such is his talent and ability to bend opponents to his will. There are considerable changes to the roster, no Kevin Durant for example, but Curry has the ability to work with pretty much anything he is given.
Green is trickier to call. Although he tried his best to be a mentor for a cobbled together group last year, which he was, it just didn’t look like he was up for the challenge of actually competing nightly during the regular season simply to scrape out a win. When you’re used to being virtually guaranteed to be one of the last four teams standing, that’s a readjustment that takes time.
All of which is to say that leaning in Wiseman a little bit during the regular season would be a good idea. It would take some of the rigours of a campaign off Green, while the prospect of Wiseman building a two-man game with Curry is exciting. Neither will have played with a guy quite like the other before, and Curry is known to be a good teammate who gets the most out of those around him.
There isn’t a ton more youth to get behind, but two guys who played well for the Warriors last season, Eric Paschall (24) and Ky Bowman (23) could yet add value to the rotation of the Warriors. Assuming both are kept around for the long-term. Regardless, some games should be used to showcase Wiseman and the other younger guys, to give a glimpse into what the franchise will be working with in the future.