The Warriors Dynasty is on Hold, but it is Far From Over

Dan Abbate

The Warriors Dynasty is on Hold, But it is Far From Over

The National Basketball Association is in the final stages of the season as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat compete for the championship trophy in the NBA finals. For the first time in six years, the Golden State Warriors are not the championship favorites. Major injuries to the superstar backcourt of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry and the loss of one of the league’s best players in Kevin Durant led to the Warriors having the worst record in the NBA and securing a top-three draft pick due to their awful record. Many believe that this is the end of Golden State’s historic run of dominance. However, the numbers show that the Warriors have the capability to bounce back and become even stronger than before.

This NBA season had a distinct difference from the past several years; the Warriors were missing their two time MVP point guard and perennial all star Steph Curry. Golden State’s offense was clearly struggling without Curry’s floor spacing from his long-range shot making ability. Throughout his career, Curry has never shot for less than 40% from the three point line. Furthermore, he shoots more than 38% on shots farther than 30 feet, several steps behind the three point line. The magnitude of Curry’s offensive game forces the opposing team’s defense to guard him closely as soon as he crosses half court, giving other players an opportunity to find open lanes and create easy scoring opportunities. There has never been an NBA player with this type of impact on the game. 

-Kirk Goldsberry

The Warriors had another setback this season in the form of Klay Thompson’s ACL tear in last year’s finals. This injury has kept Thompson out of this NBA season. Many former NBA players and basketball analysts state that Thompson is the second best three point shooter in the history of the league, second only to his teammate Curry. Similar to Curry, Thompson has never shot below 40% from three during his career. There have been several games in which Thompson scored at least 40 points while dribbling the ball less that 10 times. This is an absurd accomplishment, and showcases just how valuable Thompson is on the floor. Having Curry handle the ball while Thompson gets himself open without the ball has been a staple of Golden State’s offense since they both began playing together. When they step onto the court together again next season, the league will be reminded of the Warriors supreme scoring ability and just how hard it is to keep up with them.

-Kirk Goldsberry

Due to their bad record, the Warriors have secured a top 3 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Throughout their title runs, the one thing that Golden State has lacked is a strong big man. Center James Wiesman could be the one to change that. In college, Wiesman averaged 10 rebounds and three blocks per game. He does not yet have a consistent jump shot from the three point line, but his rebounding and defense would be a big compliment to Curry and Thompson. His 76% field goal percentage will help them on the offensive end as well, seeing as Wiesman averaged a solid 19 points per game during his time playing college basketball.

From the information gathered, it is clear that the Golden State Warriors still have the potential to continue their league-wide dominance. The return of star backcourt duo Thompson and Curry will immediately help them start winning games again, and the addition of a solid big man in this year’s draft will expedite the process of becoming championship contenders once again.

Work Cited – BasketballReference.Com