I really think the Warriors are viable contenders again, largely thanks to Mike Dunleavy’s work in the front office.

Signing Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton have really helped the Warriors become of the most flexible defenses in the NBA. Not to mention, Stephen Curry is still one of the finest closers in the NBA.

I think the Warriors are poised for another deep playoff run, especially if Buddy Hield can continue to grow into a more defined role.

18 comments

  1. There’s enough, but the likelihood is so low imo it may as well be 0. Against Clippers or a solid defensive team we gotta have more scoring resiliency coming from anyone other than Steph.

  2. We’re not contenders until we’re at least 50 games in and still looking good. But i will say right now we are a fun team to watch

  3. Let’s see where we’re at after the all star break. I’m not willing to call us contenders quite yet.

  4. Eh.. by fixing those stupid cross court one handed passes by Steph and Drays constant want to do homerun highlight stupid turnover prone passes + being mid pack free throw team instead of dead last … that would go a long way…

  5. We’re definitely contenders and MDJ gets a lot of credit, but a lot of people have done some really great things this season:

    Stotts helping us maintain a motion offense while having the fewest turnovers I’ve seen from the warriors in a while

    Stackhouse bringing back the defensive attention to detail and intensity

    Kuminga accepting his bench role gracefully

    Draymond balancing his fire with staying available (that grizzlies ejection doesn’t count in my book)

    Kerr being willing and able to make changes (new assistants, revamped system)

    Wiggs looking like ‘22 Wiggs again

    Looney dropping weight to keep up

    Curry being the GOAT

    A lot of things had to go right for us to be contenders, and so far they are. Just hope Melton isn’t out for the season because he made our starting lineup look so solid.

  7. Last year they were top 7th in offense but 19th in defense. This year, they’re top 5 in both. That is a big deal. They upgraded defensively and it shows. Hopefully their depth can sustain the effort throughout the regular season. This is the same basic formula that won them the title in 2022. Can they replicate that success in an absolutely loaded western conference this year? Probably not, but you never know with injuries. I personally think a consolidation trade for a second scorer would help their chances in the playoffs.

  8. Personally, I don’t think they are without a trade. I think they have some pretty clear weaknesses (Podz as the backup PG, Kuminga as the second unit go to guy, TJD as the starting center) and the depth which is a huge regular season advantage will get minimized as an advantage in the playoffs as the top players play more. We also definitely need to hear a positive injury report on Melton, he’s very important for their playoff hopes as a bonafide two-way player.

    I think the good news is that (imo of course) they are in the process of establishing themselves as a “one trade away” team rather than a “2-3 trades away” team like some people feared they were.

  9. If the team can clean up the free throw shooting, we can really make strides. A 10-3 start is very promising and I would be pleasantly pleased with a 50 or 50+ win season.

  10. This team is SOOO much more pleasant to watch vs the car crash pile-up that it was last year. Whew…

  11. Being in the Play-In tournament is not being in contention, and given the age of the stars, I prefer they go on vacation.

    But I expect the Warriors to be top 6 this year. Now is being a 4-6 seed a guarantee of success? Not really, although a few teams have made the finals.

    The 1-3 seeds have the best chances of making the finals, and if you look over the current standings, OKC has Slim Shady Holmgren on IR from a minor impact from Wiggins, while I doubt the old man Lebron and his cast of wannabe Bronnys will stay 3rd. But it’s hard to believe teams like the Suns or the Nuggets will not leap forward, and I wouldn’t bet against the Mavericks on any given game.

    This assumes that Steph and Dray stay healthy while the second squad continues to gel and improve. Obviously free throw percentage has to rise while I think Kuminga, Moody and Podz are slightly below championship level. Thankfully Hield, Wiggins and Waters are above expectations.

    I don’t feel confident that the Warriors will stay #1 but I expect good things come the playoffs.

  14. We’re all a bit spoiled here, aren’t we? Winning even one championship is REALLY hard – no team has repeated since 2019! We had one of the greatest teams in NBA history – and still had some serious competition on our way to 4 chips. Anyway, a viable contender? Not until, IMHO, we get either a 2nd reliable scorer or a legit starting center. But the good news is that this team is fun to watch, and could make some noise in the playoffs. That’s good enough for me – although I’d trade anyone on the team besides Steph and Dray along with however many picks to get Steph a 5th ring.

  15. not even remotely contenders. we’re hot because everyone was shooting crazy from 3.

    and Steph aside we’ve been quite healthy thus far.

    we’ll be due a slump pretty soon. i think December will be brutal for us in terms of losing close games.

    without a second option we have no chance at a ring. let’s watch how the Kings game goes, it’ll tell us everything.

  18. This year much more so than last year. If they can keep it up without injuries then we’ll be in a great spot.

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