The Golden State Warriors’ dynasty has been pronounced dead so many times over the years. It was dead when a 73-win team blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was dead when Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson each suffered devastating injuries in the 2019 NBA Finals before being upset by the Toronto Raptors. It was dead when Durant left the Bay for Brooklyn, dead when James Wiseman turned out to be the Darko Miličić of his generation, dead when key role players departed after the 2022 title run.
Klay Thompson’s exit to Dallas this summer felt like a symbolic nail in the coffin: the Warriors as we knew them were no more even with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green still around. Of course, the Warriors are never really finished as long as No. 30 is still playing at a high level. They just need to reinvent themselves.
The Warriors, somehow, are reborn as an NBA championship contender once again. Golden State is 7-1 on the young season with league’s best net-rating, outscoring teams by 15.5 points per 100 possessions thus far. The Warriors are No. 3 in offensive efficiency, No. 2 in defensive efficiency, and now have a signature win to hold up to the light.
Golden State beat the Boston Celtics, 118-112, on Wednesday night in a stirring performance on the road that suggests the Warriors are elite once again. Boston didn’t have Jaylen Brown or Kristaps Porzingis in this game, but the Warriors were down Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton, too. Going against the best team in basketball, Golden State showed they have discovered a new winning formula.
The Warriors’ hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of Stephen Curry, and he remains brilliant even if he turns 37 years old in March. Curry was spectacular against Boston’s twin lockdown defenders in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, popping off for 21 of his 27 points in the second half and bringing the win home with some late-game shot-making. All these years later, Curry still has the juice:
Curry remains the straw that stirs the drink for Golden State, but he has real help this year once again. The Warriors are deep and long and full of quick decision-makers around Curry, embodying many of the same qualities that kept once the dynasty humming for four championships.
The addition of Buddy Hield is looking like a masterstroke for the Warriors’ front office thus far. Hield was the last signing of the summer, completing a vision to bolster the depth after Golden State swung and missed on Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. Hield has been something of a trick-or-treat player throughout his career — a remarkable shooter until he loses favor with his coaching staff — but his fit in Golden State has been seamless to start the year.
It takes some players years to figure out Steve Kerr’s offensive system, but Hield has mastered his role in it immediately. He’s a perfect fit for the off-ball actions Golden State once ran for Thompson, and his shooting is every bit as deadly. Movement is the key to Hield’s gravity, giving Golden State a roaming threat who is always looking for a crack of space to fire off a three. So far, Hield is almost averaging as many points (21.1) as he is minutes (26.1).
When Hield on the floor together with Curry, the Warriors are posting a +54.22 net-rating in 59 minutes, per PBP Stats. They connected for the dagger against Boston:
The Warriors have always been defined by their shooting, but the defense is really what makes them go. Somehow, Golden State is elite defensively once again, with a little help from new assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse on the bench.
Golden State has a lot of long, athletic defenders they can throw at you. Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II are turning the clock back to 2022 with their ball pressure, and everyone else is moving on a string the same way the Warriors’ best defenses under Ron Adams once did. This team is aggressively trapping with a help-and-recover scheme that ranks top-5 in both steals and blocks per game.
When the Warriors get a stop, they are immediately running:
This is where the depth of Golden State really shines. Wiggins struggled badly the last two seasons as he dealt with off-court issues, but he looks like one of the league’s most overqualified role players once again this year with his jumping falling and his activity rising. Kevon Looney was another key Warrior from the 2022 title team that was starting to look washed last year; he’s been a total monster on the offensive glass this year, with only three players in the league corralling more o-boards so far. As Payton II dove on the floor to grab a loose ball in crunch time against Boston, you would have thought it was 2022 all over again.
New pieces have emerged to give the Warriors even better depth. Jonathan Kuminga — recently moved to the bench without a contract extension — is better suited for the smaller role Kerr has put him in, where he can unleash his athleticism and give Golden State a little more power on both ends. Kyle Anderson’s 0.5 decision-making is a natural fit as a trigger man in Kerr’s offense. Moses Moody and Lindy Waters give the Warriors two more long wings who can shoot.
Add in Podziemski and Melton contributing as ball handlers and defenders, and the Warriors suddenly have the connective tissue around Steph and Draymond that makes this team soar.
The Warriors’ win over Boston was notable because, to this point, they have mostly beaten up on bad teams to get that 7-1 record. The next four games are a slog: at Cleveland, at Oklahoma City, home vs. Dallas and Memphis. Beating the Celtics is a great way to start this stretch.
Kerr has a lot of different options he can go to this year, and juggling them will require a deft touch. The formula remains the same as it’s always been: Curry’s greatness, plus quick ball movement, plus Green’s defensive genius quarterbacking the defense, plus a blitzkrieg attack that hammers opponents for any mistake equals success. The Warriors have found it once again.
