Without Klay Thompson, the Warriors are going to have to try some new things this coming season. Some of the lineup combinations Golden State fans have gotten used to will no longer be viable, though some new ones could potentially take the team to another level.
Some things will stay the same, though. Specifically, you can expect coach Steve Kerr to keep Steph Curry and Draymond Green together on the court, rather than staggering them.
"No, not necessarily," Kerr told reporters Tuesday when asked if he intends to keep at least one of Curry and Green on the court at all times. "I think we've tried that in the past and it seems like I almost always end up going back to play them together. I think they're such a dynamic pair, offensively especially, together in the pick-'n-roll. My gut would be from the beginning of this year to just play them together, then try to find another combination when those two guys are on the bench.
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SIGN UP HERE "It's different I think if you were talking about Steph and Klay. Then I would say yes because I think you need to keep a scorer on the floor all the time. But it's different with Draymond because part of what makes him special is his pairing with Steph offensively and how well they complement each other on the pick-'n-roll."
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Without Thompson's perimeter shooting, the Warriors are going to have to further depend on their other bread-and-butter methods to generate offense, and the Curry-Green pick-and-roll is one they can count on. Curry's handle and shot, combined with Green's proficiency at passing and setting picks, has long been a successful pairing, and there's no reason to expect that to change anytime soon.
If Curry and Green are going to be kept together, though, that leaves some large voids on the second unit, particularly when it comes to scoring. Logically, it would make sense if Kerr then utilized the other two of his four known starters -- Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins -- to carry the offense while Curry and Green are on the bench. That said, with so many new players, Kerr is certain to try out several different combinations.
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"My gut as we speak is to say I'm going to play them together," he added. "Obviously we'll see how it all plays out."