Why are People Sleeping on the Warriors?

Image Credit: Bleacher Report

With the NBA season just a few days away, there has been a lot of talk about who will hoist the Larry O’Brien in June. The most popular picks are, for obvious reasons, the two franchises that reside in Los Angeles, California; the Lakers and the Clippers. Other teams that have been mentioned as title contenders are the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks. There are some ‘sleeper’ picks as well, like the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics to name a few. These are all very solid picks and could very easily be NBA champions come season’s end. But if you are a fan of the game you have noticed one team, that has reigned supreme over the entire league for the last five years, is not even mentioned among this group of select teams. That team would be the Golden State Warriors.

What exactly has caused the Warriors to hardly even be talked about as a playoff team in the west? They lost an all-time great talent in Kevin Durant, who departed for the Brooklyn Nets this offseason, but they were a 73-win team and NBA champion before KD had even arrived there.

They still have Stephen Curry; the man who quite literally changed the way the ENTIRE game is played all around the world. They still have Draymond Green, the definition of the modern-day point-forward and arguably the most versatile defender the league has seen since Dennis Rodman. They will get Klay Thompson back in time for the playoffs (the team has said he will be out until at least the All-star break). Not to mention they added a silky-smooth combo guard in D’Angelo Russell, who averaged 21 points and 7 assists last season while leading the Nets to the playoffs. Lastly, they brought in what could easily be the best center they have had since the start of their dynasty in Willie Cauley-Stein.

There is one glaring weakness with this team though, and that is their defense. More specifically their backcourt defense, especially while Klay is out. That is a legitimate concern, but my counter-argument would be this: who cares? Golden State always could outscore its opponents and with Stephen Curry and D-Lo in the backcourt, that luxury is not going anywhere. Plus having the best help defender in the league in Draymond makes up for a lot of defensive lapses the Warriors are sure to have. Their defense may not be one of the best in the league anymore but it will still be more than enough to get by with their game-breaking offense.

With so many other teams in the Western Conference rapidly getting astronomically better, and with Golden State losing an all-time talent, it is understandable they are no longer odds-on favorites to win the title. But talks that the Warriors’ dynasty is over are just foolish and misguided. Before 2014 the Spurs had gone six seasons without hanging up another banner, no one then was saying their dynasty was over. Just because the Warriors may not be 2020 NBA champions does not, for one second, mean their dynasty is over. They will contend this season and for many more to come.

- Paul Hessing