Golden State Warriors: 3 players facing the most pressure going into 2019

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts in the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center on April 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 112-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Golden State Warriors (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Golden State Warriors will head into the 2019-20 season with a roster full of new faces. Here are three players who face the most pressure this season.

The Golden State Warriors will enter the 2019-20 season facing their fair share of doubters. In fact, this might be the first season in quite some time that the chatter among the Western Conference isn’t focused on them.

Is that wise? Probably not. But the fact remains that the Warriors are facing a ton of pressure to perform this season.

They have doubters, they have naysayers, and they have non-believers. And if the team is going to prove their detractors wrong, then they are going to have to exceed expectations in the 2019-20 season.

That starts up front with their players — some of which will be under more scrutiny than others. With that, let’s take a look at the three Warriors players facing the most pressure to perform this upcoming season.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 10: Jacob Evans III #10 of the Golden State Warriors attends a shootaround ahead of the team’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena on October 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

3. Jacob Evans

The Warriors lost the vast majority of their depth in the offseason and replacing said depth will be a challenging task. That’s why it will be up to their young, unproven players to step up this season.

One of those key young players is Jacob Evans.

Evans was last year’s first-round pick but as is the case with so many Warriors first-rounders, he didn’t play very much in his first season. The Cincinnati product played in just 30 games averaging 6.8 minutes failing to make much of an overall impact.

However, Evans will be asked to fill a much more sizable role next season.

The Warriors have effectively converted Evans back to the point guard position that he excelled playing at Cincinnati and he should serve as the team’s primary point guard off the bench.

Of course, his minutes could also go to the newly-acquired D’Angelo Russell who could play a bit with the second unit, but Evans should still see plenty of playing time.

With the departures of Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook, finding a new backup point guard behind Stephen Curry is more important than ever before. And Evans will be facing the unenviable task of living up to those expectations this season.

If he succeeds he could find a long-term role on the roster. But if he falters, he may be sent packing before long.

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