Going into the past season, Golden State was one of the teams that “if everything went well” could have an outside chance at winning it all. Klay Thompson would be their X factor after a long absence and they also had a group of talented young players who were still yet to prove their value in the NBA. The Warriors eventually won the title but not all these assumptions were met. In reality, when Klay returned, Golden State were already a clear title contender, having won 29 of their first 38 regular season games.
In addition, their young players did not have a major impact in the title run: James Wiseman missed the whole season, while Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody had some good moments, but lacked the required consistency to be viable rotation options during the season. Oddly enough, it was the hiring of veteran players that allowed the Warriors to have such an amazing season: Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr and Nemanja Bjelica were extremely valuable to the team especially considering their modest contracts.
In the playoffs, Golden State were the best team with Steph winning the Finals MVP. However, Andrew Wiggins became an unexpected factor on both ends of the floor. Boston would on paper have a big edge at the wings with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Wiggins leveled the battlefield with some great play.
2022/23 Outlook:
It would be unfeasible for Golden State to retain Payton II and Porter Jr given their humble contracts. Hence, they indeed signed better deals everywhere. Yet, Golden State was able to replace them with two veterans who will also give the team quality minutes at a low price in Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green.
However, Golden State’s biggest goal remains the same as they really need to develop their high draft-pick young players: Wiseman, Moody and Kuminga. They have one more year of experience with the team’s system and the Warriors really hope that they can become solid players in the rotation.
Even though they are more known for their offense, Golden State was the #2 best defense last season. Excluding the weird 2019-20 season, the Warriors have always been a top 10 defense under Steve Kerr. Their great defensive foundation makes them an excellent regular season team and the same should happen this year. However, everything seemed great for the franchise until Green punched Poole in a practice, an issue that they need to solve immediately. The team’s chemistry under Curry has always been great, but Green has threatened that at times with some issues. Maybe this time, things won’t be okay?