At the start of the preseason, two Warriors are fighting for a place in the squad

The Golden State Warriors still need to make roster decisions before their regular season opener on Oct. 23, but Saturday's preseason win over the LA Clippers has already given them an important answer.

After the Warriors signed Kevin Knox II to a training camp contract in late September, they apparently began a battle between three players for two roster spots. But after just one appearance in pre-season, there are now two players in one position.

While neither Knox, Gui Santos nor Lindy Waters III appeared in the Warriors' main rotation in the first half of Saturday's win, it was the latter who clearly stood out when the opportunity arose later in the game.

In 15 minutes of the second half, Waters scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting. The last of those was an extraordinary curling three-pointer at the final buzzer that helped Golden State to a one-point victory.

Given that the Warriors traded him in June's NBA draft, Waters likely entered training camp and preseason with a tighter grip on a roster spot than Santos or Knox. However, if there was any doubt about whether the franchise would guarantee his $2.2 million contract for this season, Waters answered those questions in his Golden State debut.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic on Wednesday, Waters is close to being added to the roster and can now look to win a rotational role within a strong Warrior squad.

“Waters is the 13th man in a crowded rotation, but he is close to being added to the roster and appears more than willing to take over a rotation spot if the opportunity presents itself.” Slater wrote.

This leaves Santos and Knox fighting for position, with the former occupying the strongest position as the incumbent striker in the squad. No one particularly stood out in Saturday's win, but they should have further opportunities to assert themselves as pre-season progress continues.

Santos went scoreless and had three rebounds and two assists in just under 12 minutes, while Knox had four points and two rebounds, including a high-flying dunk in transition, in just over six minutes. The difference between the two players became clear in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game – Santos is a connector who does the little things but isn't overly aggressive offensively, unlike Knox, who is primarily a goalscorer.

Which path the Warriors take will be decided over the next 10 days, but that conversation will no longer include Waters, whose strong first performance essentially cemented his place on the roster.