Golden State Warriors Training Camp Preview
Power Forward
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Starter: David Lee
Bench: Draymond Green, Marreese Speights, James Michael McAdoo, Mitchell Watt
Lee, still considered to be a double-double machine and defensive liability, is almost guaranteed the starting spot this season. Almost.
While the possibility of starting Green over Lee is still up in the air (and way up there), Kerr’s openness to shaking things up in the rotation has led some to believe that there could be a larger chance of him starting than experts may think. While the stats still support the idea that Lee is still a 20-10 guy, many expect Lee to be past his prime and now on the decline.
Green, on the other hand, has been a welcome surprise after being drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft as a senior from Michigan State. It’s his versatility off the bench that the Warriors have so deeply fallen in love with, and he’s only continued to improve since joining the league.
Lee, coming back from yet another offseason surgery, will have to prove he’s still the reliable post scorer that many still see him as. Whether Green’s superior defense and range makes a case to replace Lee in the starting lineup remains to be seen.
McAdoo has some great physical tools at his disposal and proved himself to be an athletic and serviceable power forward during Summer League, but his unfortunate inability to live up to expectations left him undrafted at the end of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Seeing how he and the relatively unknown Watt compete against the other bigs will be the second most interesting storyline to watch next to the Craft affair.
As for Speights, the big man out of Florida was recently arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. A report out of Summer League stated that Speights had spoken on the possibility of him adding more range to his shot to provide Coach Kerr with the stretch-four he initially said he wanted, but Speights’ recent run-in with the law effectively puts a dent in that plan.
The arraignment for his alleged DUI will take place Sept. 16 in Tampa, FL. (UPDATE: Arraignment will be continued on another date)