Special note to all the Warriors fans who have fretted for years about the timeline and accruing tension of the team’s competitive countdown: Folks, we are watching the Warriors maximize the final years of Stephen Curry’s prime. Right here. Right now. This is what it looks and feels like. You can stop agonizing. (Though I know most of you won’t.)
I’m not making this conclusion just because the Warriors are 9-2, the fourth-best record in the league, and have won games in Boston and Oklahoma City and pulled out the victory on Tuesday over Dallas in the operatic Chase Center return of Klay Thompson. It’s too early to know how the 2024-25 season will end. The Warriors started fast last season, then swiftly tumbled into the muck and couldn’t really climb out. Nothing is guaranteed when we’re just 13 percent through the regular season.
But the bigger outlines are already pretty clear. The way the Warriors put together their roster around Curry is absolutely working. And Curry, at 36, is reeling off another stretch of superstar moments. He’s in great shape, his mindset probably has been sharpened by his incredible run in the Olympics last summer, and he looks energized by a group of teammates who complement every remarkable thing that he does and might continue to do for a lot longer than anybody dreamed.
“I just expect it — I expect him to be doing this til he’s 63 years old,” Kerr said, grinning, about Curry’s extended greatness. “Probably won’t happen, but I expect it to.”
Plus, as long as they’re winning like this, the Warriors can assess everything from a position of strength as they head closer to the trade deadline.
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The Warriors were right to try to add Paul George or Lauri Markkanen to be supporting stars alongside Curry last off-season; and then, when they couldn’t land either, they were right to build out the roster with role players who fit with Curry. Because Curry is still great.
“He showed it last year, too,” Kerr said. “I don’t think we had the depth and versatility last year that we have now. So to me, the model is ’22. We won the championship in ’22 with a similar mix to what we have now. Good on both sides of the ball, establish the defense — I think we finished second in efficiency that year, if I’m not mistaken. We’ve established this year we’re good defensively. We still have things to work on. But we won a title two years ago with a group built around Steph and defense. And that’s the formula this year, too.”
Statistical proof: The Warriors are currently fourth in defensive rating; they were 16th last season. They are also third in offensive rating this season, after ranking ninth last season. Kerr points out that, obviously, Curry’s epic shot-making was crucial against Dallas on Tuesday, but the Warriors wouldn’t have won that game without four consecutive defensive stops down the stretch.
The Warriors can also sustain the frenetic defensive pace because they have a faster, deeper, stronger rotation than they did last season. At new defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse’s urging, they’re harrying opponents by blitzing almost every pick-and-roll, something very different than what the Warriors have done in this era. They give up some open shots this way, but they also cause a lot more chaos and give aggressive, athletic defenders like De’Anthony Melton, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Gary Payton II a lot of room to fly around.
“We really decided on doing that after the personnel moves this summer,” Kerr said. “Once we added Melt, once we knew GP and Wiggs were healthy and looking good, once we decided to play bigger with Trayce [Jackson-Davis] and Draymond, it just made sense. Jerry really pushed for it and he’s been great at teaching it. But it’s a combination really of personnel and what makes the most sense for our team. Wouldn’t have made sense last year.”
As Jackson-Davis noted, they all know they can exert max energy every second because if they get tired, Kerr can just send the next guy in and the next guy after that. The depth took a hit on Thursday when the Warriors announced that Melton, an offseason addition who just recently was inserted quite successfully into the starting lineup, sprained his ACL in Tuesday’s game and, with more tests due, is out at least for Friday’s game against Memphis. But Kerr emphasized that the Warriors have many other guards and wings who can step into the starting lineup and get more minutes — Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, GP2, Buddy Hield. One of the key benefits of having a 12-man rotation is that if you lose somebody for a while, you still have an 11-man rotation.
And while there’s a ton of basketball to be played, it already feels like the Warriors have pushed their way into the West’s second tier — probably with Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, and Minnesota. For now, the Warriors are ahead of the conference’s big bunch in the middle, which includes Memphis, Houston, Sacramento, New Orleans, and the Clippers.
The Warriors are currently on a pace to win 67 games; obviously an unrealistic finishing point. But if they play slightly above .600 ball (say, 43-28), from here, that’s 52 wins — which would’ve gotten them the fourth seed in the West last season (as opposed to the 10th seed) and the two seed in 2022-23. Fifty-three wins landed the Warriors the three seed for their 2021-22 title run.
Banking wins is always important in what is sure to be a stacked race to the top of the West. But more importantly, the early success has lifted the Warriors’ self-confidence after a couple of seasons that failed to meet the Curry era standards.
“I think we’re still figuring it out, but I think we have come to some conclusions that we feel good about,” Kerr said. “Starting Draymond and Trayce together, bringing [Kevon Looney] off the bench for more size and rebounding. [Jonathan Kuminga] as our scorer off the bench — he’s going to be one of our leading scorers this year. It’s a powerful force to bring him off the bench. Those things have become clear.”
To be sure, Kuminga continues to be a 2024-25 wild card in all categories. He’s not thrilled to be out of the starting lineup in a contract year, but he can’t and won’t complain while he’s getting consistent minutes and shot attempts off the bench — and while the team is winning.
Practically, if he plays well and also avoids showing too much public frustration, Kuminga will increase both his contractual and trade value. They go hand in hand. For now, the Warriors have no reason to give him away by the February deadline. He can make a run at the Sixth Man of the Year award. Or he can become so valuable that he can be the centerpiece of a monster trade for a new Curry co-star. Again, the Warriors don’t need to make a call on this right now. The more they win, the more options they’ll have.
This is exactly how you maximize Curry’s prime. You don’t make panic moves. You don’t trade for every old, fading star you can get. You keep things flexible, you watch your young players develop, and you make the big move when and if it’s there. Curry makes all of this possible. And assembling a strong supporting cast around him raises the possibilities for him, too.