In the opinions of most people, the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty is definitely over.
After winning their fourth NBA championship of the Stephen Curry era in 2022, they lost in the second round of the playoffs the following season, and this past season, they missed the playoffs altogether.
To make matters worse, Klay Thompson, one of the most important pillars of their empire over the past decade, left to join the Dallas Mavericks this summer.
But Curry actually likes the fact that people are counting out the Warriors, per Legion Hoops.
“I love the fact that people don’t think we can keep the pace with some of the other teams that they’re picking in the West,” Curry said.
Curry is still an elite player, as he proved in the Olympics this summer when he helped lead Team USA men’s basketball to a gold medal, but the supporting cast around him isn’t what it used to be.
Forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, big man Kevon Looney and veteran Draymond Green remain from that 2022 championship squad, but they will need a number of young players and newcomers to step up if they are to return to the playoffs.
Kuminga took a step forward last season, and Golden State has relatively high hopes for guard Brandin Podziemski, who developed into a diamond in the rough last season.
In an attempt to replace Thompson’s dead-eye shooting, the Warriors brought in Buddy Hield, who is a career 40.0 percent 3-point shooter but isn’t the overall scoring threat Thompson is.
They were hoping to swing a big trade this summer in order to become contenders again, but it hasn’t happened, at least not yet.
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