It was just two years ago in 2022, that the Golden State Warriors were crowned NBA champions, but their days as a serious title contender seem over now. The Warriors failed to even make the playoffs last season and ESPN's Zach Lowe stated on NBA Today, that there is just one way they can get back to the top.
"Probably," Lowe said when asked if the Warriors' days of being true title contenders are over. "It's going to take a home run, a lightning strike, something like the Spurs got with drafting Kawhi Leonard toward the end of Tim Duncan's prime.
"This is what happens to great legends who stay with one team," Lowe continued. "You win a lot, and while you're winning a lot, you draft at the bottom of the first round, so you're probably not getting any stars there and then the core gets old, and it's hard to transition from old to great again while the old guys are still in the league and that's where the Warriors are.
"They're a good team, this is a good deep team in the Western Conference," Lowe added. "They can win a round. If things go right, they can even win two rounds, but they're not a contender... They're not dead yet, but it's gonna take one home run lightning strike to get back toward the top."
It is probably going to take something like that. The San Antonio Spurs hit the lottery when they acquired Kawhi Leonard on draft night from the Indiana Pacers, who had selected him with the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Leonard would go on to help the Spurs make the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014, winning Finals MVP on the second trip. While he hadn't really become a superstar at the time, he was a key piece, and a few years later, did become the top dog on the team.
A case like that doesn't come across all that often, but the Warriors might believe they already have someone who can do what Leonard did for the Spurs. I'm, of course, referring to Jonathan Kuminga.
The 2023-24 season was easily the best of Kuminga's career, as he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. The 21-year-old was one of the few bright spots for the Warriors in that disappointing campaign.
If Kuminga does take a big leap in the next year or two, the Warriors could become serious contenders, especially with how well Stephen Curry is still playing. Do I see the youngster ascending to stardom soon, though? Not really.
I don't see the Warriors' other young talents like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody taking that step either. They also don't have enough to pull off a trade for a big star, so their title window appears to have shut for good, in my opinion.
Stephen Curry Remains Bullish About The Warriors' Title Chances
While many on the outside have written off the Warriors, there is still a lot of optimism within the building. Curry believes the Warriors are still championship contenders in 2024.
"I love the fact that people don't think we can keep the pace with some of the other teams that they're picking in the West," Curry said to People's Natasha Dye. "And I just love that challenge of stepping into a training camp and being able to create your own success — that gets me going. And obviously coming off of this Olympic experience, I'm trying to channel that energy all year."
I think Curry, who averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2023-24, is going to excel on the court, but I am not confident his supporting cast will. The Warriors went 46-36 last season and I see them ending up with a similar record in the next one.
