The Golden State Warriors’ streak of 5 straight trips to the NBA Finals and 7 consecutive playoff berths came to an end this year, as Stephen Curry was out for most of the year with injuries, D’Angelo Russell didn’t fit their scheme, and Klay Thompson was also out for the year.
The Warriors ended up with the worst record in the league, which, obviously, got them out of the Orlando bubble, as only the 22 teams with the best records made the cut.
Even so, it seems like the Warriors aren’t crying over the spilled milk. In fact, Charles Barkley thinks that getting that much rest will actually be a blessing in disguise for them, as they’re going to be back at full strength and fully restored.
“I think they’re gonna have a huge advantage because they’re gonna get rest and get Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) back. (Andrew) Wiggins is gonna be there, they’re gonna get a lottery pick. These other teams are gonna be tired. (…) It’s gonna be a quick turnaround, one way or the other,” Barkley said, as quoted by Marcus White of NBC Sports.
The Warriors are going to add a top-5 pick to an already impressive core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Eric Paschall. Also, they’re the Warriors, they’ll have plenty of choices of veteran players eager to join them.
“Even if [the NBA says] they’re gonna move [the season] back, it’s still gonna be a quick turnaround. I think [the Warriors] are gonna have a huge advantage going into next season,” Barkley concluded.
Chuck has a valid point. Curry isn’t getting any younger and he’s going to have a lot of time to overcome his history of injuries and be back at his MVP form once the 2020-21 season starts. We don’t think is wise to count the Warriors out right away.
