After a collapse at the end of a brilliant record breaking season, the Warriors are hungry for a comeback, and they have added some new ingredients to their dominating recipe. Kevin Durant has joined the line-up as another sharpshooter alongside Curry and Thompson, Zaza Pachulia has replaced Andrew Bogut as the shot-blocking center, and in an exciting turn of events, the rookie Patrick McCaw has stepped into the spotlight as a young and agile playmaker.

So far, the Warriors have won five of their pre-season games and lost one to the Toronto Raptors. The loss to the Raptors has been largely attributed to the lack of central strength in the team dynamic.  Pachulia certainly has a different playing style than Bogut and it became obvious in a close game against the Sacramento Kings. Anthony Slater, the sports journalist for the Mercury News writes, “He won’t block shots like Bogut, but he’s expected to provide a similar type of high-IQ defensive impact from below the rim.”  The idea is that what Pachulia lacks in shot blocking ability he will make up for in free throws.  Graham Myers, nephew of the Warriors general manager says, “Zaza is a veteran center and will fill the spot nicely. He’s a decent midrange shooter and can hit free throws consistently.”  Only time will tell if Pachulia’s style truly benefits the team.

The Warriors weren’t just celebrating our Independence on the Fourth of July, they were also rejoicing due to the fact that Kevin Durant announced that he would be joining the Warriors lineup.  Durant has played only on an isolation offense team during his professional career, and critics have been wondering if it is possible for Durant to convert to the Warrior’s signature motion offense.  Myers comments, “It’s going to be easy because he’ll probably be double-teamed, but so will Curry, and thus they will distribute the ball quickly to keep things flowing to hit the easy bucket or splash a three.”  In their game against the Lakers, the Warriors proved Myers’ statement to be true by using quick passes and rotating formations to clinch the 123-112 win.  A key play of the game involved a swift behind the back pass to Durant from Curry, and a clean two handed dunk finish from Durant.  This is the type of teamwork that will hopefully become more frequent and natural between the players in the regular season.

Young upstart, Patrick McCaw, has proven himself a worthy asset to the team as he beat the buzzer with a game winning shot in overtime against the Nuggets.  McCaw did not always belong to the Warriors though.  On the NBA draft night, the Milwaukee Bucks signed McCaw, later that night they traded the rookie to the Warriors for cash consideration.  In an interview with CSN Warriors executive board member Jerry West says, “People are gonna be sorry they didn’t draft McCaw.” Before Golden State, McCaw played for UNLV where he earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors as a sophomore.  McCaw’s position on the team has yet to be defined.  McCaw is a rookie so he can be a role player to fill in for Shaun Livingston. Having McCaw to fill in as a guard should be beneficial when the starters need rest, and will give McCaw valuable NBA experience.

The Warriors have made their home in The City (Oakland) but come 2019 they will be inhabiting their new stadium, the Chase Center, in San Francisco according to ESPN.com.  The future of the Warriors is undetermined but with new techniques, new players, and a new season the Warriors are on their way to a new season.