After an unexpectedly strong start of last season where they won 12 of their first 15 games, the Warriors were unable to keep up that level and reached the start of February with a mediocre 25-25 record by Feb 5.
This was when Golden State made a trade to get Jimmy Butler from Miami and that dramatically changed their season for the better. The Warriors ended the regular season on a 23-9 run and when both Curry and Butler were available, Golden State went 22-5 in those games. During that span of games, the Warriors were the #3 best team in the league only behind Oklahoma City and Boston. They had an elite defense while being #1 at forcing turnovers. Butler turned Golden State into an aggressive team on both ends of the floor as the Warriors were also #1 in the league on FT rate.
Despite this improvement, as Golden State was really behind in the standings, they still had to play a play-in game in which they beat the Grizzlies. Later, they knocked out the Rockets in a Game 7 in the first round and when they were leading the Wolves in the first game of their series, Curry got injured and was out for the rest of the series. Predictably, the Warriors lost the next four games without their main player on court.
For this new season, expectations are good for them as Curry, Butler and Green are all back and healthy to start the year. Veteran Al Horford was their main offseason addition and unlike what has been the norm at the Warriors where their main player at the Center position is normally a player who is limited on offense with no shooting range, this clearly isn’t the case of Horford, who should add a new dimension to the team’s offense that could mitigate the lack of spacing when Butler and Green are sharing the court.
The Warriors “Big Four” could indeed form a great unit but let’s not forget how old their core is with Curry being 37, Butler 36, Green 35 and Horford 39. At least the Warriors now have a second unit full of young athletic players as Jonathan Kuminga re-signed with the team, Brandin Podziemski bounced back from a bad start of the season last year, Buddy Hield should provide instant offense while Gary Payton II should provide the opposite with his elite defense. Now with a deep and diverse roster, the Warriors should be able to use different styles of play if his head coach Steve Kerr desires it.
So, can Golden State compete with the best teams in the league this season? In order for that to happen, their old core has to remain healthy and this is always going to be a challenge but no matter what, their huge experience will turn Golden State into a tough opponent for anyone especially during the postseason.