Three takeaways from Golden State Warriors preseason

Kuminga's perimeter game looks great, particularly his three-point shooting. Last season, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shot 52.5 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. Through four preseason games, Kuminga has shot 10-for-22 (45.4 percent) from downtown.
 
Head coach Steve Kerr has noticed progress with the 6-foot-7 forward off the court as well.

"I think this year he definitely feels more mature," Kerr said recently. "When we're coaching him through his mistakes, he's handling it better. He doesn't hang his head."
 
Expect big things for Kuminga, especially if Kerr gives him a consistent role, something he has not had since entering the NBA. 

The Chris Paul experiment could actually work

Paul has been excellent this preseason, seamlessly fitting into the offense and competing well on defense. The chemistry is already developing between the 38-year-old guard and superstar Stephen Curry. 

"I've told him we need him to be himself," Kerr said. "He's trying to fit in. Sometimes we just need him to go take four mid-range jumpers in a row if the defense is playing a certain way." 

Paul provides another facet of offense for the Warriors. Last season, especially in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State got stagnant. 

"Paul is the alt-offense that the Warriors desperately needed and didn't have against the Lakers in the playoffs last season." The Athletic's Tim Kawakami wrote. "The guy who can think through a complex problem on the fly, make the right move and pass and mess up a defensive scheme."  

In Golden State's 116-115 win against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, Paul played a great all-round game, dropping 13 points, dishing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds. Golden State was down 18 at one point, and Paul helped spark the comeback. 

All signs are pointing toward this experiment being a success.

Much improved depth from last season

The Warriors have added Paul, European big man Dario Sarić and Rudy Gay. Rookies Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski both look like NBA-ready talents, especially Jackson-Davis. The 6-foot-8 big man is a good defender — against the Kings, he went toe-to-toe with Domantas Sabonis, a $217 million All-NBA player. His athleticism stood out throughout the preseason. 

"You've seen in the preseason games our bench has outplayed our opponent's bench each time, and that's exciting," Kerr said. 

If Kuminga and Moses Moody take big third-year leaps, Golden State's bench will be significantly improved over last season and the team's ceiling for the 2023-24 season will skyrocket.