3 players who could break into the Warriors starting lineup this season

Klay Thompson started 742 games over the last 11 seasons for the Golden State Warriors but is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks. His departure was the most dramatic change for the Warriors this offseason but far from the only one. Chris Paul and Dario Saric are also gone from last year's roster, replaced by Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton in a re-worked depth chart with big aspirations.

Thompson's departure opens a hole in the Warriors starting lineup but the struggles of Andrew Wiggins and the piecemeal approach to the center position mean everything but Draymond Green and Steph Curry could be up in the air over the course of the season.

These three players will probably begin the year coming off the bench but all have the potential to work their way into the starting lineup before season's end.

3. Buddy Hield

On paper, the Warriors' backcourt is locked in with Steph Curry and second-year guard Brandin Podziemski as the starters. The latter started 28 games as a rookie, emerging as a key rotation piece by the end of the season. He averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. It's telling that Golden State refused to include Podziemski in a trade package for Markkanen and they clearly value him as a foundational piece going forward.

However, the Warriors also added two fantastic guards this offseason — Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton — and both could eventually push for starting roles. Melton is a terrific defender and transition finisher who works as a secondary creator in a way that Gary Payton can't. Hield, of course, is an elite shooter with enough offensive versatility to really help supercharge the Warriors offense.

If Curry and Podziemski are both healthy it's hard to see either being supplanted as starters, even if Podz struggles at some point. However, Hield played a lot of 3 for the Indiana Pacers the past two seasons, working next to Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. A three-guard lineup with Hield, Curry and Podziemski is a look Steve Kerr might use a lot this season, with the combination of shooting and movement making up for anything they might be giving up on defense. And if Andrew Wiggins continues to struggle, it's not hard to imagine that lineup eventually becoming the Warriors' starting group.

2. Trayce Jackson-Davis

Jackson-Davis may not need to work his way into the starting lineup — there's a non-zero chance he ends up as the starter from Day 1, even if Draymond Green or Kevon Looney end up playing more minutes at the 5 than him. As a rookie, Jackson-Davis started 16 games and was incredibly productive when given a chance. He averaged just 16.6 minutes per game across 68 appearances, but pro-rate his stats per 36 minutes and you get 17.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks.

He's a bruising screener, explosive finisher and relentless rebounder who shot 70 percent from the field last season, making the most of the gravity Curry provides. Despite his block numbers, he still has a ways to go as a defender. Looney and Green provide a lot more in that regard and, in a perfect world, the center minutes may be divided between the three of them fairly evenly.

But giving Jackson-Davis the honor of starting could pay long-term benefits for his development and help the Warriors get off to better starts this season, trying to run opponents off the floor before they have a chance to build any momentum.

1. Jonathan Kuminga

Honestly, it would be a huge disappointment for the Warriors if Kuminga is not firmly entrenched as the starter by the end of the season. His potential upside is the biggest x-factor for the team this season and if they have any hope of crashing the party of Western Conference contenders they need him to be a breakout star.

The Warriors have been open to trading Andrew Wiggins but he's likely still starting next to Draymond Green to start the season, if only for the sake of continuity and inflating his trade value. But trading him is one of the clearest avenues for improving the roster and they need Kuminga to be better than him even if they can't find a dramatic trade.

Kuminga struggled at the beginning of last season but finished averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 52.9 percent from the field. They need him to raise his game on defense, to do more on the glass, to be an every-possession physical presence and to consistently make his 3s. But all of that is within his power and if he can deliver on that potential right from the beginning of the season, he becomes the starter, Wiggins gets traded for someone like Jerami Grant, Wendell Carter Jr. or Brook Lopez and the Warriors are right back in the thick of things.