The Golden State Warriors’ first three-point make in this uncertain preseason period came off of a simple high pick-and-roll action — nothing novel, ubiquitous throughout the league, and quite uncharacteristic of a team that has traditionally eschewed the conventional for the unorthodox.
Fresh off his legendary Olympic campaign that added another notch to his legendary career, Stephen Curry was tasked to be the primary ball handler initiating the action. With Klay Thompson’s departure, the Warriors had multiple candidates at the two-guard position to replace Thompson as Curry’s backcourt partner in the starting lineup: Buddy Hield, whose volume of three-point attempts has rivaled Curry over the last five seasons; De’Anthony Melton, who is a more stable defensive option and has the three-point shooting to provide offensive relief on the other end; and Brandin Podziemski, whose ball-handling allows Curry to slot into his deadly off-ball role.