The Warriors have started to steady themselves, and the last few games have shown why. After a rough opening stretch, Golden State has stacked up three straight wins against competitive teams, capped by a comeback from a huge first-half hole into a 17-point victory over the Lakers, the same group that had handled them just a week earlier.
Stephen Curry has been magnificent, as has Yaxel Lendeborg. Just as important, the small-ball look the Warriors have leaned into is beginning to work, and that’s a welcome development this early in the season.
Still, the roster isn’t complete, and the center spot remains the obvious pressure point. Kristaps Porzingis is away from the organization for an indefinite period, and with him gone, Golden State loses the kind of frontcourt versatility and lineup flexibility a true center can give you. Draymond Green is filling in as a starter for now, while Steve Kerr has also turned to Al Horford, Charles Bassey, and even Graham Ike when the situation calls for it.
Kerr has never been the type to hand out minutes to someone he doesn’t fully trust, and that has shown up with Bassey. Even setting aside the first two games he missed because of injury, his role has stayed small. His biggest workload so far came in the Suns game, when he played 12 minutes.
But that’s exactly why he’s here. Bassey is the insurance policy for the nights when Golden State needs a rebounding, active big man to soak up real minutes. Kerr’s caution makes sense, but the Warriors are getting close to the point where they need to find out what Bassey actually is in this system.
For now, the read on Bassey is pretty clear. He’s not going to anchor the rim or the paint, and he’s not going to function as a playmaker with either the starters or the bench. What he does bring is energy, physicality, and a willingness to battle opposing bigs on the glass and make that part of the game harder for them.
The long-term goal is simple enough: Golden State wants a center who can share the load with Al Horford and give the frontcourt more flexibility night to night. That doesn’t have to mean a major swing for a star, but Bassey isn’t that answer right now.
Of course, finding that kind of move isn’t automatic. Teams usually don’t rush to part with center depth unless they’re clearly headed into a rebuild. So for the moment, Bassey is what the Warriors have, and the early part of the season should be used to figure out where he fits.
He got a small taste of that against the Jazz, logging minutes in the second, third, and fourth quarters, mostly with the bench. The spacing takes a hit when he’s on the floor, but he still made an impact, blocking Walker Kessler, scoring six points, grabbing four rebounds, and adding one assist in a little more than eight minutes. When Kerr wanted a spark, Bassey gave him one.
Even then, the sample is tiny. Bassey has played only nine regular-season games for Golden State, which leaves plenty of unanswered questions.
How does he look alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green? Can he mesh with Al Horford?
And what is the best way to get the most out of his game inside this rotation?
Those answers are still out there. That’s why the Warriors need to keep testing him whenever the schedule gives them a chance, especially on the second night of back-to-backs. At the very least, they need to learn whether Bassey can help - or whether his minutes only make the need for another center even more obvious.
In Other News...
Warriors Suddenly Have A Real Path To Revisit Rui Hachimura
The Warriors had Rui Hachimura on their radar before he landed with the Clippers, and the fit never really stopped making sense from Golden States side. He brings size, scoring touch and enough versatility to matter in a rotation that has long valued players who can slide between roles, especially when the roster starts looking for more frontcourt options.
Now there is a possible opening to revisit that interest, with Kristaps Porzingis becoming trade-eligible in December and his contract potentially giving Golden State a useful piece to move. The Clippers rough start and the pressure of lost draft picks could also push them toward making veteran decisions before the mid-season deadline, which is the kind of backdrop that can put a player like Hachimura back into play. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Hit A Major Obstacle In Their Chet Pursuit
Chet Holmgrens latest injury update has only made an already difficult trade idea even more complicated for the Warriors. The Thunder big man is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks while he undergoes treatment for a small patellar tendon tear, and Oklahoma City is already navigating a roster squeeze with season-ending injuries to Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace adding to the pressure around a payroll that is climbing.
For Golden State, Holmgren has been the kind of long-term target that makes sense on paper, but the path to him now looks steeper than ever. Any pursuit would have to account for both his health and the Thunders leverage, since a team dealing with that many injuries is unlikely to part with a player of Holmgrens caliber without asking for a massive return. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Shared In A Golden State Title Fans Will Love
The Valkyries championship run gave Bay Area basketball fans a crossover moment worth savoring, and the Warriors made sure to be part of it. Golden State had already shown up for the WNBA club throughout the postseason, with members of the organization in the building for games as the Valkyries pushed toward the title, and the support carried all the way through the Finals.
Stephen Curry and Gary Payton II were among those who took in the action, while the Curry family joined in the celebration after the Valkyries closed out Atlanta in Game 7. The Warriors also publicly congratulated the team on social media, a fitting nod for a franchise that has long understood how much a shared championship can mean around the Bay. [Read more 🡒]