For as long as we can remember, the Warriors have been one of the best three-point shooting teams. Obviously, the credit goes to the Splash Brothers- Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. But times have changed and Klay no longer calls the Bay Area his home. Sure enough, that begs the question: Who is going to fill that ‘void’? A word that Steve Kerr has re-iterated quite a few times these days. Turns out, he’s relying on 4 youngsters to take on that challenge following Brandin Podziemski’s bold claim about his upgraded role.

“They want me to take anywhere from 8 to 10 (3s) per game. That’s what they told me. All different types: off dribble handoffs, off ball screens, catch-and-shoot,” Podz revealed the message Steve Kerr and GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. conveyed to him ahead of the season.

When asked for confirmation on Brandin Podziemski’s claim, the head coach, during the team’s ongoing camp in Hawaii, said, “I like the mentality, whether it turns into 8 or 10, who knows. But I want Wiggs shooting, you know, 6-7 threes a game. I want Brandin, I want Moses, I want De’Anthony. I want to be a high volume 3-point shooting team. I think that’s important for us.”

Obviously, there was a sense of urgency and desperation in the head coach’s response, and he revealed why, “The big shift is Klay is not here, right? So, we were 4th in the league in three-point attempts last year but Klay shot 8 or 10 himself every game.” Yes, despite the criticism KT faced for his performance last year, he averaged 9 3P attempts per game and shot at an efficiency of 38.7%.

While last season was considered a low point in Klay’s career, his numbers and efficiency were better than most NBA sharpshooters and Kerr has similar expectations from his roster, “We’re gonna have to fill that void and that’s gonna come from multiple people.”

Can Brandin Podziemski and Co. live up to Steve Kerr’s expectations, amid the Warriors’ trust after Klay Thompson’s departure?

Well, the Warriors had a shot at adding Lauri Markkanen to their roster this summer. However, the front office didn’t want to let go of their young talent, including Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, hoping to build a future with them. It’s now time for Podz and other youngsters to repay the trust by living up to Kerr’s expectations. Although Brandin had a great rookie season averaging 9.2 points while shooting 38.5% from deep range, he will need to be equally efficient, if not more, on increased shot attempts. Joe Lacob revealed his high expectations from the guard earlier, “We’re really excited. We think we’ve got a future All-Star. We really do.”

Even Moses Moody, who has spent his career coming off the bench, has been highly productive from deep range with a 36.2% efficiency. Meanwhile, the team also added De’Anthony Melton this summer on a one-year $12.8 million deal. And he could play a key role in the team’s title pursuit. A career 36.9% three-point shooter, Melton averaged 11.1 points for Philly last season and Kerr has been impressed with what he has seen so far.

“He’s a 2-way player, which I love the ability to connect multiple lineups. I think he brings that. He’s a catch-and-shoot guy, so just watching him scrimmage this past week at Chase, our guys are playing pickup ball as they get ready for camp. I watched him knock down 4 straight 3s in a scrimmage. But they were catch-and-shoot. No catch-and-hold. The game keeps going when he’s out there.”

And finally, Steve Kerr has immense expectations from former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins- “He’s at the age where he’s right in his physical prime, and we’ve seen him do it. He helped us win a championship. I’m expecting a big year from Wiggs.”

Yes, Wiggs had an underwhelming showing last season. But if he can return to playing the way he did during the Warriors’ title run two years ago, where he averaged 17.2 points and shot nearly 40% from deep, the team might not feel the effects of Klay’s departure. Obviously, they have Steph Curry to do most of the heavy lifting, but these four stars will be crucial in determining how the Warriors look following the Klay Thompson era.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.