LAIE, Hawaii – The 2024-25 regular season is still nearly three weeks away, and there is no need to worry as the Golden State Warriors have added the seasoned talent to their roster this offseason – the seasoned veterans expected to be available that they provide a stable, cohesive middle ground. The team's aging stars and rising young talent are feeling a little unsure, a little out of sync, maybe even a little out of breath.

“Everything is a learning adjustment,” said guard Buddy Hield, who is entering his eighth NBA season with his fifth different team. “You have to learn the terminology, learn the spots. The action is the same, but you have to figure it out in real time and at real speed. Superhumans are evolving at a rapid pace, and you have to try to understand it. I understand the concept of the game, but it’s just a matter of understanding the terminology and what they want.”

The Warriors are training camp this week at Brigham Young University-Hawaii in Laie. They will play the Los Angeles Clippers in a preseason game on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The 31-year-old Hield, who spent last season with Indiana and Philadelphia, was acquired along with Minnesota forward Kyle Anderson as part of a six-team trade that sent franchise star and four-time champion Klay Thompson to Dallas.

The team also signed free agent guard De'Anthony Melton, who played alongside Hield with the 76ers last season.

The experienced trio can be counted on to help replace the production lost with the departures of Thompson, versatile forward Dario Saric (now with the Nuggets) and point guard Chris Paul, who was released and is now with the Spurs has signed.

Hield, a career 40% 3-point shooter, has spent the week taking extra shots after practice to ensure he gets the most out of his new role in the Warriors' motion offense.

“I’m just working on things because I know I can make shots in this offense,” Hield said. “I’m working on being more effective. You want to master this so that it becomes second nature in the game. You don't want to have to work on recording during the season. Just prepare today so it feels normal.”

Head coach Steve Kerr has focused on improving transition at the start of training camp after the Warriors ranked near the bottom of the league in transition efficiency through two seasons. He said he also wants to play faster to take advantage of the signing of Melton and the progress of second-year guard Brandin Podziemski.

“We think it makes a lot of sense to play fast and we have the personnel to do it,” Kerr said Thursday. “But it only works if you take care of the ball and take good shots, and we work really hard on that.”

Anderson, also 31, said he was impressed – although not surprised – by his new team's approach to camp.

“It depends on how much they pay attention to details, how hard they go in practice and how they communicate,” he said. “That’s what really good teams do.”

And while the transition was stimulating, it was also challenging, both physically and mentally.

“It’s tough,” Anderson said. “My head is spinning, but we are adapting. That's why we're here in camp. I feel like when I was younger I would panic but I have time to get it down.

“Of course you have to be in shape to play fast,” he said. “Day 1 was a little tough, but I think the last two days I kind of learned it. Being in shape and being in basketball shape are different. We fly up the square. In transition we return to defense. You just need to get your legs underneath you.”

According to Kerr, the three new veterans immediately improve the overall team defense.

Anderson and Melton in particular have established reputations as reliable and versatile defenders. They will help bolster a defense featuring long-time DPOY candidate Draymond Green, veteran Kevon Looney and fierce young players Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga and Podziemski.

Throughout his career, Anderson, nicknamed Slo-Mo for his deliberate, leisurely style of play, has been called upon to guard every position. This year, he'll spend at least some of his playing time pitting his slender 6-foot-1 frame against the West's growing crop of plus-sized centers, from three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic to the West's reigning defensive lineman Rudy Gobert to the lanky Sophomore stars Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

On Thursday, Anderson said he was up to the task.

“I feel like I can play all five (positions) out there,” Anderson said. “Wherever I am on the pitch, with whomever, it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“The West has always been a monster, so this is nothing new,” he said. “We’ve always had really good bigs in this conference. We just have to find out. That's the point of 82 games. We need to come together as a group and figure it out.”

Offensively, Anderson already knows he'll get extra open looks thanks to Steph Curry's preternatural ability to stretch the floor.

“I’m not a knock-down shooter,” he said. “I don’t get paid for this. But I have to be able to get on offense if I want to stay in the game and get the minutes I want. So the focus was on improving that.”

Melton is a capable scorer who scored a career-high 11 points in just under 27 minutes per game last year. His biggest offensive impact often goes unnoticed – but not by Kerr.

“The ball moves when it’s out there,” Kerr said. “He’s a combo guard, so he can handle it or play off the ball. He's a catch-and-shoot guy. The game just flows with him out there and that's meaningful. You know, we can't stagnate. The ball can't get stuck and what I see from De'Anthony is that he's a connector. The ball will move when it's out there. When he’s open, he lets it rip, and that’s what we want.”

• Wiggins for Saturday: Forward Andrew Wiggins will not play against the Clippers on Saturday, Kerry confirmed. Wiggins participated in daily practices but was not cleared to participate due to illness.

“I'm not worried about wigs because he's been here the last few weeks and he's been in great shape,” Kerr said. “I just feel bad for him because he's really focused on having a great year and he wants to play… He's wearing his mask. He's on the sidelines every day. He watches what we do closely.”

Kerr said he still doesn't know who will start against the Clippers, but said all 19 available players would likely play at some point.

• Moody with the windup: Moses Moody, the fourth-year guard whose development has been slowed in part by inconsistent minutes, makes the case for a more consistent spot in the rotation.

“He catches and shoots the ball quickly,” Kerr said. “He’s a good shooter and I’ve always felt as a pitcher you have to figure out what his fastball is when your No. 1 pitch is his fastball. In the NBA it should be his three-pointer. Because of the speed of the game, when you're young in the NBA, it takes some time to understand how to shoot your shot – how fast, how much time you have. It just feels like he has a much better feel for catching and shooting. He has the space, let it go, prepare your game with it and then when people react. Then you can go after a pump fake, and he did a really good job of that.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at [email protected].