Despite having a 10-3 record to begin the season, the Golden State Warriors’ success and progress have come in a different way than many had anticipated.

Many believed that the Warriors would benefit greatly from the individual growth of the younger players after failing to recruit a real second star during the offseason. Rather, Golden State has surprised many in the first month of the season with its depth, outstanding defence, and variety of scoring options.

The Warriors’ young players have a well-known problem.

However, there is a price for the roster’s immense depth. Even though Golden State has four young players in the rotation, it’s obvious that they aren’t playing at the level that fans and even they would have anticipated. They have even regressed from the production of the previous season in certain instances.

Lindy Waters III, who had been out of the lineup before De’Anthony Melton’s recent injury, was one of five players that Steve Kerr utilised for at least 23 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. None of the five players—Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis—played more than twenty minutes.

All four of the young players have different backstories. Kuminga has performed admirably for the majority of the season, but not to the degree that many had anticipated, and his bench role is obviously not ideal for the 22-year-old as he enters restricted free agency next offseason.

Despite shooting more than 45% from 3-point range this season, Moody has been moved back towards the bottom of the rotation and hasn’t played more than 17 minutes in any of the last eight games, even if he did sign an extension before the October 21 deadline.

Despite beginning, Jackson-Davis has only appeared in three of the 13 games with more than 20 minutes played. His presence undoubtedly contributes to Draymond Green’s tremendous defensive influence, but it’s still unclear if the 24-year-old can immediately start in the starting lineup for a strong postseason squad.

Of the four, Podziemski is likely the most concerning, especially considering how desperate the Warriors were to keep him around during the summer trade rumours. In most important statistical categories, the second-year guard’s averages have declined, but the most obvious problem is Podziemski’s shooting efficiency (38/19/60 splits).

The issue of Golden State’s young players not getting enough playing time has been a recurring one for the past few years, so it’s by no means new. It is a touch different now, though, in that instead of fans berating Kerr and hoping for more on-court action, it’s more a case of those young guys not doing well enough to earn more playing time.

The question of whether the Warriors should cash them in for a star player before the February 6 trade deadline has been rekindled by the young players’ performance. The issue with it is that, contrary to what many may have anticipated going into the season, their value is currently only moving south.

The Warriors are currently dealing with a problem that isn’t very noticeable as long as they continue to win, but if they are unable to maintain their great start as a team, it may become much more serious.