The Golden State Warriors are mixing things up for their last preseason game. For the first time, Draymond Green and Charles Bassey will start together. This means Gui Santos is coming off the bench, which is a change from how things have gone so far.
The rest of the starting five is pretty standard: Stephen Curry at point guard, Brandin Podziemski at shooting guard, and Yaxel Lendeborg at small forward. Steve Kerr said these guys will play around 25 to 30 minutes on Friday against the Trail Blazers. This is the final tune-up before they face the Lakers to kick off the real season on Wednesday.
Why start Bassey over Santos? Kerr wants to see how Green looks playing next to a different center, instead of always having Al Horford out there. Starting Bassey gives them more size and protection around the rim, which is good. But the downside is that Santos is a way better offensive player and can shoot and pass better than Bassey. Personally, I think they should start Santos. That would let Lendeborg slide over to power forward, and honestly, it just makes the whole offense run smoother. Still, Bassey has played really well in preseason. He’s shooting over 65 percent, grabbing 6.6 boards a game, and blocking 1.8 shots per game. He deserves a real shot at the starting job.
The other big thing to watch is the defense. In the game against the Lakers, the Warriors gave up 70 points in just three quarters, even though Luka Doncic sat out. Lendeborg was one of the guys who had a tough time stopping people. Steve Kerr thinks they can be “very good” on defense if they start talking and moving together more, but they have a long way to go. Draymond Green wasn’t even playing in that Lakers game, and he usually cleans up all the messy plays. Having him back will help a lot. But nobody should expect them to fix everything overnight. The Blazers, with guys like Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, and Deni Avdija, are a solid test. If the Warriors can just stop giving up so many easy layups and drives to the basket, that will be a big step in the right direction.
