The Golden State Warriors are one of the defining teams of the modern NBA but things haven’t been so great for them lately. Recently, one anonymous NBA coach even went so far as to compare the franchise to a dying rock band who is fading from the spotlight as their lead singer ages.
“They’re like one of those rock and roll bands that’s still touring. They’ve still got their lead singer, and he can still crank it out at a high level,” said the coach, via Steve Bulpett of Heavy. “But it’s not the same band as before — and they haven’t had a hit record in a few years. That championship they won against Boston … that’s looking like a lifetime achievement award now.”
Nothing can take away what the Warriors accomplished in the Stephen Curry era. From 2015 to 2019, the franchise experienced unprecedented prosperity as one of the top teams in the NBA. In five straight Finals appearances, the Warriors won three championships and made history with their dominant display of three-point shooting.
For his part, Curry was the driving force behind the run. He averaged 26.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game on 48.5% shooting in that stretch and won back-to-back MVPs in the process.
In 2022, without Kevin Durant, Curry was able to lead the Warriors to their latest title win: over Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics. After securing Finals MVP in the series, Curry’s legacy was set and it marked the fourth time in less than 10 years that he’d lead his team to the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Sadly, the Warriors’ decline has been swift ever since. Many of their core players from the old run have retired, including Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. This summer, fan favorite Klay Thompson left the franchise after a miserable season and now Steph is facing his first season ever without his longtime backcourt partner.
Even with players like Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors cannot match their production from before. Besides Curry, they don’t have a reliable star to generate easy points and they don’t have the depth needed to keep up with some of the elite teams in the West.
Last season was arguably the biggest signal of the Warriors’ downfall. Curry delivered at an MVP level with averages of 26.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game but it wasn’t enough to lead the Warriors past 10th in the standings. They couldn’t even get out of the play-in tournament after suffering a loss to the Kings.
Going into this next season, expectations are pretty low for the Warriors. While Curry should keep them somewhat competitive, they failed to add any major upgrades and the strength of their roster pales in comparison to some of the NBA’s top teams right now.
Really, if not for Steph, the Warriors might be on track for a bottom-five finish this season and it says a lot about how far they’ve fallen from their peak. Things will likely only get worse for the franchise as Curry continues to age but not all hope is lost.
If they can find their next franchise superstar before Steph retires, it might give them a window to compete for one final championship before he calls it quits. Whether in the draft, the trade market, or in free agency, the Warriors are going to be looking hard for their next opportunity, and what they discover over the next few years could very well determine how this chapter of their history ends.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
