Debate Settled: The Warriors’ Dynasty is Over
San Francisco, CA (PSF) — As a lifelong fan of the Warriors, experiencing the highest highs with this franchise, it pains me to say this:
The Golden State Warriors’ Dynasty is over.
Fueled by the animosity of other fanbases, waiting for the opportunity to celebrate the day the Warriors’ competitiveness faded away, the questioning of the dynasty has become a relevant discourse to all NBA fans this season.
Although last year, thanks to the Heroics of Stephen Curry, the Warriors made it to the second round of the playoffs and showed at least a capability to be a competitive playoff team. For Warriors fans, the reality of the Warriors lagging behind, continued to be hidden and masked, under the facade that Stephen Curry will continue to catapult the Warriors ahead of the competition.
This year has not the same.
By not the same, I mean uncompetitive. The Warriors are no longer a perennial playoff team. The Warriors are no longer yearly title contenders. It has been a culmination of adversities, caused by both ends of the dual-timeline approach. The Veterans, besides Curry, no longer provide the same high-impact, positive contribution they did the previous year. Besides Jonathan Kuminga, who has risen to the challenge of the second option this year (18.9 ppg post-all-star break), the young rookies have been up and down, providing immense positive impacts for one stretch, but hurting the team in the next stretch.
The home loss to the Pacers on March 22nd ended up being the story of the 2024 season.
25 points from Stephen Curry came in the form of the Warriors’ lone offensive threat, where that burden comes with heavy defensive attention and thus, an inefficient 9/24 shooting night. He was the Warriors’ leading rebounder with 11 rebounds, which should simply not happen.
Klay Thompson had 17 points, but on 6-15 shooting and made just 3-10 3-pointers. He had 3 bad turnovers and struggled defensively.
Draymond Green shot just 4-10 for 11 points, although he chipped in 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. At this stage in his career, however, any double-digit scoring outputs are exceeding expectations. He was one of the two players with a positive plus/minus.
Wings Jonathan Kuminga (4-17 shooting, 11 points) and Andrew Wiggings (4-11 shooting, 8 points), could not provide any consistent offense to take pressure off of Curry.
Chris Paul chipped in 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, but lineups with Paul allow defenses to focus their attention elsewhere, as Paul’s limited scoring relegates his offensive game to inefficient midrange jumpers and pull-up threes, which were never his game.
Rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis played well, but their role on the team and their skillsets are perfect for role players. The necessity for a co-star alongside Curry has put too much on their plate sometimes, leading to some rookie struggles.
The result of all of this I described? A home loss, where they shot a putrid 40.6/29.2/68.8 shooting line, against the 6th worst defensive team in the entire NBA (117.6 defensive rating). The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami described this situation in perfect words:
The Warriors are still led by all-time great Stephen Curry, have a plethora of good pieces in Brandin Podziemski and his secondary ball-handling, Trayce Jackson-Davis and his interior scoring and defense, Jonathan Kuminga’s actively growing overall game, and veteran contributions from Draymond Green’s defensive leadership, Klay Thompson’s shooting, and Chris Paul’s playmaking.
But none of these players offer the overall offensive, or defensive impact, that can define them as secondary threats behind Stephen Curry.
Together, they all cover different parts of the game and each can break out and help Curry with their skills on any given night.
But can any of them do it every game, consistently? No. Not at this point.
With aging veterans, and growing young players, the pressure of becoming the second option behind Curry is just not feasible. The aging veterans don’t have age on their side anymore, the youngsters are still learning how to contribute consistently, and Curry can only carry the Warriors for as long as his back can continue to carry them.
The decline of their longtime veterans: Thompson, Looney, Green, and Wiggins, has been staggering. In terms of plus/minus, only Green remains in the positive:
(STATS VIA NBA.COM)
Wiggins, who earns close to $30 million per season, has been a non-factor on both ends this season. His defensive effort and effectiveness have both cratered and is averaging a career-low 12.6 points per game. His three-point efficiency has declined to just 35.5% and has become a clear negative. Yet, since there are no better options in their wing rotation, although one could argue for Moses Moody, he continues to start.
Looney has unfortunately been figured out by the league. As a hyper-limited offensive player, and athletically limited on defense, Looney’s flaws become more and more prevalent in an increasingly athletic, current-day NBA.
Klay’s benching this season has clouded his future with the Warriors. No longer the offensive weapon and defensive stalwart he once was, his effectiveness has been increased off the bench. But with a resume like his, and his competitiveness, is a bench role for the rest of his career something he would agree to?
Green remains a net positive, but the on-court antics have gotten stale. His impact on the court is high, but when he removes himself from the game — it doesn’t make a difference what his impact is.
The Curry-Podziemski-Wiggins-Kuminga-Green lineup remains the most effective lineup for the Warriors, but is entirely reliant on Curry and Kuminga producing the offensive numbers. If Curry is zeroed in on defensively, and Kuminga struggles with efficiency, reliance on inconsistent contributors becomes the only feasible backup plan.
Head Coach Steve Kerr has been questioned throughout the season as well. Devotion to some players (Podziemski, Wiggins), and a preference against others who have made a positive impact in their opportunities (Moody, at times Jackson-Davis), have contributed frustration to the season as well. Not to mention the temporary feud with Jonathan Kuminga, who was finally released from the quick hook Kerr employed for him and has blossomed since stepping into the role of the second-option.
Kerr’s rotations have been inconsistent, unpredictable, and frustrating for players. Devotion to the veterans, especially after what he went through with them, is quite understandable, but Kerr’s idleness when watching the veterans struggle has been frustrating for fans and players alike. On the contrary, young players besides Podziemski receive quick hooks after just one or two mistakes.
Although Kerr has let the best lineups get extended runs now, without the quick hooks, Kerr’s glaring inability to make necessary adjustments in games, pulling hot players, and waiting too long to sub the positive contributors back in has been backbreaking for a team who needs every win they can get.
Overall, everything, from the team, to the coach, to the overall atmosphere and attitude the season, has screamed 10-seed. And that is exactly where they are, where they’ll likely remain for the rest of the season, and where they’ll continue to be in the future, unless a franchise-altering move is made this offseason, which would be difficult with the Warriors’ current salary situation.
The Warriors dynasty dominated, up until this season. Now, they’re being dominated by their shortcomings, as the hope of dynasty form slowly fades away.
