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

1. D’Angelo Russell

But while Evans and McKinnie should play key roles on the team next season, the primary offseason excitement has centered around the trade for Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell.

Russell will be facing the lofty expectations of having to fill in the shoes of the injured Klay Thompson while he’s gone. However, don’t expect Russell to look like a carbon copy of his new teammate.

The two play very different games and that difference in style is what makes the change all the more intriguing.

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Russell is an excellent young player who was really just coming into his own in Brooklyn. But now with Golden State, the 23-year-old will be asked to not only adapt to his new surroundings, but also play a very different style of basketball than he is used to.

Head coach Steve Kerr will likely implement aspects of Brooklyn’s pick-and-roll offense into the Warriors playbook, but don’t expect Golden State to completely alter their style to fit Russell.

Instead, it will be Russell who will have to do most of the adapting.

It remains to be seen how he will mesh with Curry in the backcourt and how he and Thompson will connect once the All-Star shooting guard returns.

From a talent perspective, there should be no issue. But sometimes chemistry trumps talent and the Warriors will have to develop a new brand of team chemistry with Russell on board.

It’s certainly possible, but it will be something to keep an eye on as we move closer to the start of the 2019-20 season. And until we know the answer, Russell will be facing plenty of pressure to perform.