The Warriors are rolling into Portland with a preseason lineup that looks more like a tryout than a typical NBA starting five.
Against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Golden State is opening with Brandon Williams, Will Richard, Malevy Leons, Dalen Terry and Charles Bassey. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Yaxel Lendeborg, Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Georges Niang and Gary Payton II did not even travel to Portland.
That leaves the Moda Center stage to the players still fighting for real minutes, real roles and, in Williams’ case, a real roster spot.
Williams enters the night with a contract that is non-guaranteed until opening night, so every preseason possession matters. He has already made a strong case over two games, averaging 10.5 points while using his speed to impact the floor in different ways.
The one blemish from his last outing was the ball security - five turnovers. With so much of the offense likely running through him again, Wednesday gives him a chance to remove any lingering doubt.
Bassey is in a different contract situation, with a partially guaranteed standard deal that puts him ahead of Graham Ike, who is on a two-way contract. But the center job still has to be earned, and Bassey knows it.
He’s a sixth-year NBA journeyman who has appeared in only 126 games, mostly as a reserve, so nothing comes easy. He’ll need to keep proving himself in preseason if he wants to stay ahead of Ike and convince Steve Kerr to lean on him instead of going smaller.
Against the Lakers on Tuesday, Bassey looked more comfortable than Ike, especially defensively.
Richard also has something to prove. He’s scored just seven points across two preseason games and has often been parked in the corner while others create. Wednesday should give him a different kind of opportunity, with more chances to handle the ball and show what he can do off the dribble.
That’s not exactly new territory for him. In a November game against the Kings last year, Richard went for 30 points, a reminder that he has more offensive game than he’s shown so far in this preseason. This matchup gives him a clean shot to get into a rhythm and carry that momentum into games where Golden State’s regular rotation is back on the floor.
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