Times have changed for the Golden State Warriors. They were once a dynasty in their prime years, with multiple future Hall of Famers dominating the NBA and proving themselves one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Now, years later, the front office is slowly pivoting toward a new, younger core as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green inch closer to the end of their careers.
With those changes, the Warriors are having to embrace the importance of developing young talent, both to improve the current roster and bolster their trade coffers. The player development mindset is something we haven't seen in the Bay Area for some time, as the Warriors have been perennial contenders for the last decade or more. Yet, with young talents like Yaxel Lendeborg
and Brandin Podziemski on the roster, we're watching the shift happen in real time.
According to Steve Kerr, Golden State is better positioned to focus on developing its younger talent these days. After all, the Warriors aren't currently viewed as a genuine championship contender in the Western Conference.
"We're in a position now [as opposed to past seasons] where we can be thinking of development," Kerr recently said, via ESPN's Anthony Slater. "Not just for Yaxel, but our whole group. We are not in the [championship] conversation. So let's see what we can do as a group to kind of reestablish what we stand for and how we operate and new beginnings in a lot of ways. All of that is really exciting to me. And Yaxel's a big part of that."
Lendeborg, 24, projects to have a sizeable role within Kerr's rotation this season. The hope is that he can make an immediate impact for Kerr's team while plugging a gap in a position of need. In return, he'll be surrounded by elite veterans who know what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Simply put, he'll get a world-class education on how to thrive in the NBA, along with tutelage from Kerr and his staff. Podziemski has already benefited from both of those things and has become a more well-rounded player as a result.
It's far too early to know how the Warriors season will play out. However, if Lendeborg and the rest of the young talent at Kerr's disposal can take steps forward in their development, then they won't be a team you can easily count out.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebookand Twitter!
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors’ Steve Kerr embraces new focus on developing young talent
