SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been 10 days since the Warriors opened training camp, and coach Steve Kerr is having visions of yesteryear.
He’s seeing Klay Thompson, who in July chose to leave Golden State and sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Seeing Andre Iguodala, who retired a year ago. Seeing Shaun Livingston, who retired five years ago.
They were good for the team on the floor and good for morale in the locker room. Good for the franchise in general.
It took a few years, but Kerr believes the summertime additions of Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton give the Warriors three incoming veterans with similar attributes.
“De’Anthony and Kyle give us, in different ways, a little bit of what Andre and Shaun gave us: Veteran wisdom, high IQ,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday. “Buddy gives us a lot of what Klay has given us, that lightning-bolt 3-point shooting. Pin-downs. Causing chaos with the defense with off-ball movement.
“Those three guys together really fortify our team.”
The comparison is loose, Kerr conceded, but not as crazy at it might seem.
As the Warriors’ young core — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Thompson — blossomed into prosperity in Kerr’s first season, they realized the value of acquiring such respected veterans as Iguodala and Livingston. They brought a certain credibility. They were the “adults in the room.”
These Warriors — aside from Curry, Green and Andrew Wiggins — have a lot of youth. Four players who figure to be in the rotation — Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski — are under 25 years of age. They’re open to advice from veterans.
Particularly if those vets still have game.
Hield is 31, as is Anderson. Melton is 26, but he’s entering his seventh NBA season. Through training camp and two preseason games, it’s evident all three are playing at a high level.
Melton is a solid two-way guard making a strong bid to start alongside Curry in the backcourt. Anderson is a rangy, subtly clever forward assured of being one of the team’s most valuable reserves. Hield could be the team’s Sixth Man, a role once held by Iguodala and likely ticketed for Thompson had he returned.
“We’ve really been emphasizing running the floor in transition, really sprinting, and Buddy, man, does he fly in transition,” Kerr said. “And what it does is pull the defense with him. That opens up other people to be open for shots. I love that about him. He’s a great transition runner.”
Like prime Thompson, Hield is a 3-point specialist who uses off-ball movement to wear down opposing defenses and free himself for shots, as he did in Wednesday night’s preseason game, when he made 6 of 7 from beyond the arc against the Sacramento Kings. There is another, more intangible factor Hield brings that is reminiscent of peak Klay.
“Buddy brings what Klay always brought us before: Everyone just laughs when Buddy is around,” Kerr said. “And the joy goes with a style of play, and it feeds on itself.”
Iguodala and Thompson own four rings each. Livingston owns three. They were essential components of championship teams. They helped the Warriors raise the bar to the highest level.
That’s not in the forecast for Hield, Anderson and Melton. But Kerr and every member of the front office would gladly accept their help in returning Golden State to an advantageous position for the playoffs.
