Golden State Warriors 2022-23 NBA preview: Rebuilding trust after Draymond Green's punch key to title defense

A wrench was thrown into Golden State's preseason, and it might take a while to sort out the wreckage

By Colin Ward-Henninger

Oct 14, 2022 at 10:23 am ET • 5 min read

Mike Meredith/CBS Sports

The Golden State Warriors were all set for a nice, harmonious title defense with all of their key players back in the fold.

Well, so much for that.

Even with all of the fallout from Draymond Green's punch-heard-round-the-world, the Warriors are still one of the championship favorites heading into the season, and they should be even better than they were a year ago.

Golden State's attempt to blend old and young will be tested this season, as they're going to need their vets to stay healthy and their less experienced players to seize available roles. If they can get to the postseason with their core intact, their corporate knowledge and championship DNA will make the Warriors an extremely tough out.

Here's a quick look at some of the offseason changes, followed by a preview of the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors.

Key changes

Signed guard Donte DiVincenzo to two-year, $9.2 million contract.
Re-signed center Kevon Looney to three-year, $22.5 million contract.
Signed forward JaMychal Green to one-year, $2.6 million contract.
Re-signed forward Andre Iguodala to one-year, $2.9 million contract.
Drafted forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. with No. 28 overall pick.
Acquired draft rights to No. 44 overall pick Ryan Rollins from the Hawks in exchange for No. 51 overall pick Tyrese Martin and cash considerations (reportedly $2 million).

Roster

Player	Position	Age
Patrick Baldwin Jr.	Forward	19
Stephen Curry	Guard	34
Donte DiVincenzo	Guard	25
Draymond Green	Forward	32
JaMychal Green	Forward	32
Andre Iguodala	Forward	38
Ty Jerome	Guard	25
Jonathan Kuminga	Forward	20
Anthony Lamb	Forward	24
Kevon Looney	Center	26
Moses Moody	Forward	20
Jordan Poole	Guard	26
Jerome Robinson	Guard	25
Ryan Rollins	Guard	20
Pat Spencer	Guard	26
Klay Thompson	Guard	32
Andrew Wiggins	Forward	27
James Wiseman	Center	21

Top of the key: Rebuilding trust

Perhaps you haven't heard what's been happing in Warriors land this preseason because you're so consumed with postseason baseball and early-season football -- and if that's the case, you might want to sit down. Green forcefully punched Poole at practice a couple of weeks back, the video was leaked, Green spent a week away from the team and received a fine (though no formal suspension), and now he's back and everything is copacetic.

Sure?

Virtually every Warrior not named Draymond Green -- Kerr, Curry, Looney, general manager Bob Myers -- has spoken about broken trust that needs to be repaired. Green prefers the term, "camaraderie," but it's all semantics. You don't just punch your teammate in the face, then come back to practice and act like everything is normal. The work that Green has to do on and off the court to restore the Warriors culture, which Kerr said has been damaged, could require months.

Playing (and winning) will obviously help. Green said he's out to "prove a lot of people wrong" this season, and Poole has already turned in some brilliant moments in the preseason. With a potentially full season of Thompson and Wiseman and strong additions with DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, the Warriors should be in strong position to repeat. But you can't take the chemistry for granted after a publicized incident like this.

Next up: Young guns, too

We all know the importance of the Warriors vets -- Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins, Looney -- but the youngsters will also be vital to the team's success this season. There are key rotation minutes up for grabs with the departure of Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II and Nemanja Bjelica, which the Warriors are hoping to fill with the likes of 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Both bring different strengths to the table -- Kuminga's elite athleticism and finishing ability, Moody's shooting and defensive versatility -- and Kerr will almost certainly tinker with how many minutes each receives on a nightly basis until a leader emerges.

We take Poole for granted after the tremendous improvement he showed last season (somehow he was fourth in Most Improved Player voting ... huh?), but his minutes waned during the Warriors' postseason run due to defensive issues, and now opposing coaching staffs have a full year of film to help figure out ways to stop him.

"It's a good problem to have," Poole said on media day. "Obviously there will be different schemes and stuff that I will see all year. Just lock into the film and adjust as best we can. It will be an exciting objective and a challenge to overcome."

And then there's the mystery man in Wiseman, who is entering his third NBA season with all of 39 games under his belt -- including zero last season. The 7-footer's expectations have been simplified, as he's concentrated on rebounding, rim protection and screen-setting. Extended minutes may be hard to come by considering Looney will start and both Greens will likely get some time at center off the bench. But a healthy, productive Wiseman certainly provides an element that the Warriors lack, and will give them an option against the more bulky centers in the league.

If all of these youngsters can figure out how to thrive in their roles, the Warriors are going to be very hard to beat not just this season, but for the foreseeable future.

One more thing: Age ain't nothing but a number

It has to be said: The Warriors' veterans are getting up there in age and, perhaps more importantly, in basketball mileage. Trips to the Finals in six of eight seasons takes its toll on the body, even if Curry, Green and Thompson look to be in the best shape of their lives. Curry will turn 35 this season, while Green and Thompson will celebrate their 33rd birthdays as the playoffs draw near. Green and Curry both missed extended time with injuries last season, and of course we all know Thompson's history.

Kerr said he would love to start shaving down the minutes of his stars, but he knows that's not always possible when you're trying to win games -- particularly in an absolutely loaded Western Conference this season. Curry erased all doubts with his tremendous postseason run, but he registered career-worst shooting efficiency across the board during the regular season. That's not to say that he can't bounce back, but the signs of at least a slight decline have revealed themselves.

It's another reason why the development of the younger Warriors is so important -- to provide some relief to the vets so they can save their much-needed energy for another rigorous postseason run.

Key games

The Warriors certainly can't complain about a lack of nationally televised games, as they've once again become one of the most prevalent shows in the league. Most will point to opening night against the Lakers, but their second game -- against the Denver Nuggets -- could be a Western Conference finals preview, as could their battle with the Clippers on Thanksgiving Eve.

Of course you can't miss the Christmas Day matchup against Golden State's young, emerging rivals, the Memphis Grizzlies, and then the Warriors return to Boston in January for the first time since winning the title on the TD Garden floor. Finally, a late-season measuring stick against another potential Eastern Conference champion, the Milwaukee Bucks, awaits in mid-March.