The Golden State Warriors head into next season in an awkward spot: not a true Western Conference threat, but not bad enough to tear it all down either. That middle ground is exactly why the realistic outlook feels so underwhelming.
Last season’s 37-45 finish left the Warriors as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, and that record came with a huge asterisk. Injuries battered the roster all year, and by the end they were barely hanging on. This time around, the core is mostly back, but the group is older across the board and won’t have Jimmy Butler or Moses Moody for much of the season.
Still, Stephen Curry changes the math. Even on a merely average roster, Curry can drag the floor upward if he stays on the court.
He played in 43 games last season, and the idea here is that a smarter workload could get him into the 50-60 game range. If that happens, the Warriors can probably hover around .500.
The rest of the roster has to cooperate, too. The team needs better health from Kristaps Porzingis, plus reliable availability from veterans like Draymond Green, Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton. If those pieces are on the floor, Golden State at least has a workable baseline.
Then there’s the younger group, which may be the biggest swing factor of all. Brandin Podziemski has to take the next step and start matching the confidence he already plays with.
Yaxel Lendeborg’s first NBA season matters. Will Richard also has to build on the promise he showed as a rookie.
That’s a lot of uncertainty and not many obvious answers. Put it together, and 41-41 starts to look less like a disappointment and more like the most honest forecast for this team. The Warriors are sitting in the middle, and a .500 season would fit that reality perfectly, even if fans hate hearing it.
In Other News...
Warriors Jokic Dream Suddenly Feels Less Impossible
The Nuggets recent move with Peyton Watson did more than reshape their roster for the moment, it reopened a long-running conversation about how Denver plans to build around Nikola Jokic going forward. Anytime a franchise with a generational star makes a cost-saving or future-focused deal, the ripple effects are immediate, and in this case they have only added fuel to the idea that Jokics situation is worth watching beyond this season.
George Karl added another layer by questioning whether Denver is the kind of organization that can fully support a player of Jokics stature over the long haul. For Warriors fans, that matters because the next offseason keeps coming into view as a possible inflection point, with talk of Jokic eventually reaching free agency and the notion of him in Golden State no longer sounding quite as far-fetched as it once did. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Raised The Stakes With Gui Santos
Gui Santos is staying with Golden State for the next step of his development, a choice that says plenty about how seriously the Warriors are taking his place in their plans. Instead of leaving for two upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Brazil, Santos and the organization are putting a premium on training camp and the kind of season prep that can help a young player turn a late-year surge into a real rotation spot.
That matters because Santos showed enough down the stretch last season to get the Warriors attention, and now the challenge is translating that momentum into a larger role in a crowded roster. Golden State has veteran experience and fresh additions in the mix, but Santos decision to stay put suggests the team sees a path for him to be more than a fringe contributor if he keeps building on what he flashed before. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Have Two Intriguing Young Options For Open Roster Spots
The Warriors search for depth at the bottom of the roster is starting to take shape, and it could get a little more interesting in the coming days. Golden State is reportedly planning to bring former Philadelphia 76ers wing Dalen Terry into camp on a training camp contract, giving the team another look at a young player while it sorts through the final spots on the roster. With two main openings still available, the front office appears willing to keep one eye on veteran stability and another on development.
There may also be a fresh opportunity to add more youth to the mix. A five-team trade involving the Washington Wizards has put Cam Whitmore and Julian Reese into the conversation as possible camp candidates, and both would fit the kind of low-risk, upside swing the Warriors have shown interest in before. For a team trying to balance immediate needs with long-term flexibility, those open roster spots could wind up being more competitive than they looked a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]