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Somewhere behind the marquee with names such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, the Warriors and Lakers will gather for a basketball game Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It's a preparatory match – an "exhibition", as some would expect, but the power of the stars often outweighs the lack of consequence. Because there is always some pride among the big ones, a considerable sweat will be on the floor after the tipoff of 19:30.
Here are three things to look for in this glorious dress rehearsal for the regular season that starts next week.
Young swingers
Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney will be on the list; they have guarantees. But while most of the discussions about their roles focus on sharing the central position with Damian Jones, both have entered the NBA as power brokers and may also be needed there.
Draymond Green has been out since Sept. 29, with the Warriors hoping he'll be ready for the opening game next Tuesday. Coach Steve Kerr is worried enough to play against Bell and Looney at 4, or even together, as a 4-5 combo.
Looney started Monday against Phoenix, but Bell has not started his match yet. He could start against the Lakers, to share the time with Jones. Otherwise, Bell's minutes could be paired with Jones or Jonas Jerebko, another front-runner.
Warriors, in their terminology, call avant-gardists and power centers "fat" because most are interchangeable. The longer Bell and / or Looney spend time at 4, the more reason to believe that Green may be missing a little longer.
Hopes
In the absence of a predictable end to Pat McCaw's continued absence, it becomes apparent that a guest player at the camp hoping to land a contract with the NBA could achieve his goal.
Warrior coach Steve Kerr has repeatedly expressed satisfaction with the energy and performance expectations in practice and in games. Veterans say the same thing.
The most likely candidates would be Danuel House Jr. and Alfonzo McKinnie. Both are wings. McCaw is a wing. Kerr acknowledged that this situation was necessary.
Although House has a little more experience in the NBA, McKinnie seems to have gained an advantage in the first three games. Each player has played 42 minutes and each reaches 50%, but it is difficult to miss the McKinnie aggression. His 14 rebounds (at six for House) are impressive for a wing and suggest that he can sneak a few minutes to 4 in a small formation.
Both will be monitored, but House seems to be late to catch up.
Action Beyond the Bow
The Warriors have rarely been dominated by goals – they have led the league with a 3-point percentage point in three of the last four seasons – but they have been in that pre-season. They shoot 34.1%, their opponents 42.5.
Do not blame the stars. Klay Thompson is 64.3% (9 of 14), Stephen Curry 47.1% (8 of 17) and Kevin Durant 44.4 (4 of 9). This is a total of 21 out of 40, or 52.5%.
After that, it becomes ugly. Their teammates are 10 out of 51 (19.6%). Unprepared rookie Marcus Derrickson, who is looking for a spot at 4, is by far the best of the rest at 5 out of 13. The others are 5 out of 38 (13.2%).
The Warriors are confident that Quinn Cook (1 of 7) and Jonas Jerebko (2 of 6) will be doing well. Rookie Jacob Evans III (0 of 7) needs to show better if he wants to get down to the ground in the regular season.
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