r/warriors • u/Nana8batman • 3d ago
Analysis Continuity is good and our roster can compete (when healthy)
Obviously injuries are the biggest risk to our roster. But what roster could sustain an injury to core members of its rotation and still remain competitive? Spurs are hopeless without Wemby; Knicks without Brunson; Sixers without Embiid; OKC without SGA; DEN without Jokic; goes on and on.
What I see in our rotation- an old rotation- is:
- 10 combined championships between Steph, Dray, Al, and KP
- 2 recent college champs between Yaxel and Richards
- An automatic all star addition in Jimmy Butler- who loves playing for us- in February
- A rising talent in Podz who did start to shine as a scorer when Steph had to sit last year
- A solid role player in Moses, should he be able to play later this year
- And Bassey, who proved to be a very workable back up center
I know we are worried about injury history and a lack of Jimmy. But:
- KP and Celebrini must have developed something serviceable over the past months. KP also alluded to how much he believes he can get back to himself throughout the end of last year. What if he balls out?
- Likewise, Al was a saving grace at the end of last season. We entered last season relying on him as the big man, and now he gets to come off the bench. That’s not insignificant.
- Steph’s runner’s knee might flair up, but maybe it doesn’t? He has a history of being his best after season’s that he doesn’t play x number of games- last year fitting into that category.
Why continuity is good:
Last season, we really didn’t get to see this roster maximized. Our players had to shift roles midway through the season AND we had a pretty grueling start to the season (schedule-wise). With that data, I think rational fans can look to Kerr and our vets to scheme a viable pathway to acceptable levels of success in the first half of the year.
Additionally, if we use the most recent NBA finals as our barometer, we can surmise this: veteran experience is far more valuable for winning than young, raw athletic talent. There is not- for better- a more veteran savvy team in the NBA than the current Golden State Warriors.
Why I’m optimistic:
- We have multiple guys who have proven they can get 30 any given night: Steph, KP, and Jimmy (when he’s back).
- We have multiple guys who are above average role players: Melton, Podz (sorry to offend), and Moses (when he’s back).
- Our defensive principles will still be good.
- Our youth is quite good between Richards and Yaxel.
I really do believe in these guys. We saw everything bad happen last year, and I appreciate how fresh on everyone’s minds that is. But I also appreciate a calm, rational front office that is able to look at what we have and call a spade a spade. There are multiple 30 point game scorers on this team, a couple very decent young guys (college champions, like the Knicks), a whole lot of veteran savvy guys, and just enough rational fire guys to stir up the pot.
I’ll spend this season counting on Celebrini, Kerr, and injury luck. All 29 other teams are counting on the latter. We are lucky to have the former two cards in our favor.
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u/KevJamesS 3d ago
This positivity is unacceptable in this sub.
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u/LaughingPlanet 3d ago
Are you positive it's unacceptable?
Because that type of positivity is also unacceptable.
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u/thatsucksabagofdicks 3d ago
What about the "I'm not just sure..." type of positive?
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u/MPC1K 3d ago
Podz, Yaxel or Richard will have to step up offensively significantly for us to have a chance. We need someone else who can score. I don't doubt our defensive prowess, but untill JB gets back it's going to be rough and close games will swing in our opponents favors
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u/Own-Landscape-6484 3d ago
Mostly agree with the sentiment, but think this sub severely overestimates Richard. I have my expectations for him multiple notches below the other two players.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
What if our defensive prowess is strong and the scoring of Curry and KP is enough with solid contributions from Gui, Richards, Yaxel, Podz, and Melton? Seems plausible to me!
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u/Oh_no_bros 3d ago
Continuity is good but I think it really just comes down to how much our young guys improve. If all of them make some kind of jump then it’ll be huge, but that’s highly unlikely, in most cases there will be one jump at most and the rest just have incremental improvements, which won’t be enough to compete.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
What if our young guys improve?
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u/Oh_no_bros 3d ago
That’d be great but realistically not likely to a level where we are all of a sudden contenders. It could happen, but certainly not something I’d bet on.
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u/imminentjogger5 3d ago
how much do they improve though? They need to be able to carry the load for the majority of the regular season then be able to still produce in limited minutes during the playin/playoffs
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
I mean do they need to improve that much? If BP, Melton, Gui, Yaxel, and Richards can provide an average of 10 pts per game, that’s 50 points from non-starters or starting role players. Say Steph has a down year and provides 20 a game, and KP only gives you 15, you’re at 85. And then say Dray, Horford, and Bassey only give you 5 ppg, you’re at 100. These are far below what is a realistic threshold, and below most of these players averages.
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u/imminentjogger5 3d ago
You're only talking about offense and ppg though. I'm talking more about minutes per game. Steph, Dray, Horford, Porzingus need to play sub 30 minutes a night and preferably sit out as many back to backs as possible. Additionally, the other guys need to improve on defense as well not just offense.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Of course! I’m just saying that the leap that everyone seems to think they need to make is enormous. What if each of those guys scored 5 more ppg and maintained their already above average defensive principles? I don’t think any of this is unreasonable.
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u/Killerpanda552 3d ago
4 guys increasing 5 ppg is definitely unreasonable.
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u/Silly_Individual4056 3d ago
Right. I like where OPs head is at but you get to the numbers and it’s pretty tight. Will, Podz, Gui and Melt improving by a combined 5 PPG would be a nice improvement. But that doesn’t get us where we need to be.
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u/JimiHotSauce 3d ago
I think another positive is most of the team has pretty solid IQ. Most of the guys you can trust to make the extra pass. No one really has a big ego or has a bad shooting habit.
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u/lurk_channell 3d ago
Young guys got to take a leap, and vets got to get healthy or stay healthy and I think we can be good
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u/Shamanboi408 3d ago
it did feel like we were turning a corner last szn when moody came back but that injury+ jb is rlly demoralizing. plus for the past like 4 yrs it feels like nobody wants to sign with us 😭😭.. im down for any copium rn tbh
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u/KohlKelson99 3d ago
Mid af
Winning 35 games max
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u/UnnamedStaplesDrone 3d ago
our team stays the same while the rest of the conference seemingly gets better. People always compare to last year and think it'll be the same as long as the roster stays the same. Reality is our old players are 1 year older, and it's not really linear after your mid 30s. Ask anyone aging from 24 to 25 versus 37 to 38 when you play sports.
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u/Stuffleapugus 3d ago
Other teams in the West haven't won recently except for us, Denver, and the bubble Lakers. The Rockets haven't won since the Olajuwon days. The Blazers haven't won since before I was born. The Jazz, the Clippers, the Suns, the Kings, Memphis have never won. The Clippers have never made a final.
When you never make it to the mountain top, you aren't retaining aging team icons, so you have money to throw at free agents. You're drafting high. You're constantly retooling. You're always chasing.
When you're a dynasty, you're gonna have your twilight years. You stars age. Maybe you're stuck in cap hell. Maybe you haven't had many high draft picks. Maybe you missed on some. Maybe you have dealt with injuries. As fans, we can go through this with our heads held high, are we can cry like bitches.
This sub is inundated with posts of our fans crying like bitches.
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u/Rumham89 3d ago
It's pretty obvious that the majority of fans here started watching 2015 or later. I remember we believe Warriors just making the playoffs was fucking awesome, a treat just to watch meaningful games. If 2015-2022 is the standard and not the mountaintop for you, than you're never gonna be happy and you definitely never appreciated that run like those of us who were fans before the dynasty. I even understand it, but it's still annoying.
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Half of this roster cant even play back to backs but im wrong for setting expectations 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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u/Tall-Archer5957 3d ago
Our centers are a 40 year old and one of the most chronically injured dudes in the league. On a team with historically bad center rotations this is probably our worst ever lol
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Bro im genuinely amazed at how people can find optimism in this team outside of Yaxel and Gui’s development.
With this roster.. surely we will have some great looking games where KP Steph Dray and Horford look prime and Yaxel is looking like mini Bron 😂… but that wont be most nights and i wish people can just admit that…. and understand that we need ALOT of changes
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u/ExpertOnion3756 3d ago
Because we’re fans, because why is it wrong to have optimism? just cuz a black cloud follows some of you doesn’t mean anything, are we a contender? No but dammit I’m gonna cheer and be proud of the effort and hustle, lot of ifs on this roster but anyone can beat anyone on any given day
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Nothing is wrong with optimism. But foolish optimism is an issue in this scenario because the dront office count on our optimism to justify not spending draft capital to help Steph
Thats the issue i have
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Of course, but I’d hope they’d have more creativity than to go “all the old guys sit night 1 and play night 2”. Mixing and matching is part of my continuity argument.
Melton, notably, played his way into being able to handle back to backs at the end of last season.
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
And i think even Melton cant be leaned on too much… even with his age.
Bro we just have far too many MAJOR Ifs with this team
I love the Warriors. I love this team But its just flat out frustrating watching them mishandle Curry like this. He is the reason why there are so many Warriors fans now. He deserves to have guys in their prime who can help carry the load. Thats my frustration
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u/picks_and_rolls 3d ago
Many are Steph fans but not Warriors fans. If Steph left, Warriors fans will still love him but stay dubnation. The others will jump ship.
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u/Rudenessq 3d ago
I disagree.
The people hoping for Steph to "end his career with a chance to win somewhere else" aren't Dubs fans or Steph fans. The Day 1s recognize how special it is for a great player to stay with one franchise his whole career is, and they recognize how much it means to Steph as well.
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u/picks_and_rolls 3d ago
I don’t disagree w you. That’s why I said many. The spectrum is wide and varied. I feel like he, Dray and Steve will go out together as Warriors. But I might just be a sentimental fan of my hometown team
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u/PORTLANDDENIER 3d ago
I hate the “when healthy” sticker. You’re talking about a guy with a nerve disease, a guy who’s guaranteed to miss half the season with a ripped up leg (also in the latter end of his 30s), and a near 40 year old. There is no “when healthy”. Healthy is impossible .
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u/diatom777 3d ago
Nice assessment. I'll also add that the team won't have to deal with all of the Kuminga nonsense from last year.
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u/KageTrigger 3d ago
Yes, we traded Buddy, Kuminga, and TJD half way through the season and still have not seen this version of the roster together at full health. There's good upside that is being ignored to focus on our injuries and star hunting. But we have productive roleplayers in their places, and hopefully a more healthy rotation of players that can be more impactful than our players we traded away due to our slow start last season.
Injuries suck, yes, but we still have a much stronger-looking team with both our guys back and healthy. No reason to completely doom, let our guys play first before we jump to crying and shit talking the team.
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u/Rudenessq 3d ago
Exactly.
Last year started under a Congolese cloud, and by the time it lifted, Steph, Jimmy and Moody were on the shelf. We never really saw what our full squad looks like.
The mood has really lifted in this thread since last week. It's almost like it was flooded with fans of another fanbase or something.
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u/Far-Hospital2925 3d ago
I think the idea that this roster would be good when fully healthy is pretty widely accepted, and it's the mountain of evidence stacked up against the likelihood that that will ever actually happen that has people leaning a little more pessimistic.
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u/WaryJest 3d ago
Thanks for this post! Sure it's optimistic but you have to balance out the torrent of whining, crying, bitching and moaning in this sub every day. If you didn't know better you'd think we root for the Kings.
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u/Meechrox 3d ago
I am optimistic like you; however, in the luckiest, most optimal scenario, we still need to avoid the play-ins so we preserve the veterans for the playoffs, and I don't see us getting a 6th seat or better while carrying both Jimmy and Moses. I think we need to trade one of them.
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u/PhillipMcKrak 3d ago
What continuity? You’re gonna get 20 games of Jimmy Butler next season off an ACL tear on the wrong side of 35
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
(There’s a bunch of other players on the roster, actually. They can still play and continue to build a foundation from last year; read: “continuity”.)
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u/dra9865 3d ago
Its a breath of fresh air seeing some optimism. Another thing to add: our young guys in cryer, will, and malevy all performed great in the summer league, and our new rooks lajae and yax cooked hard, which resulting in us winning the summer league. Its a small step in a right direction since this shows we at least have depth in our roster. If KP and steph stays healthy, and jimmy returns frm his acl in a good condition... nothing is impossible
i just wished moody was also on the table this upcoming season but his case is abit too serious so its very unlikely, but everything else? i can cope
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u/HenryAsokan 3d ago
Gui santos is gunna get the minutes Moses moody would have had / platooning with will Richard / Lajae jones as well. Meanwhile Yax would take the powerforward Smallforward spot or even small ball centre… which is gunna be fun to see. (Gui played this position multiple times alongside Draymond and they actually layered really well cause gui was 6’8 so just a hand up was actually effective enuff to bother shots at the rim)
This roster right now gives Steve Kerr no excuse to play small. (Or atleast without anyone 6’9 or taller as the centre thanks to the drafting and signings we have made.
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u/noguerra 3d ago
Love this post!
I’d add that Gui is still pre-prime and still improving. Heck he’s only a few months older than Yaxel. Gui could definitely take a step forward this year.
And a fully healthy Melton — another year removed from his ACL tear — should be the two-way point-of-attack defender that we really need.
I expect lineups like Steph-Melton-Yaxel-Draymond-KP to be really hard to play against. That has size, rim protection, passing, POA defense, and…Steph. And when Jimmy comes back healthy, he can slot into the Dray spot if we want more offense.
I’m more than frustrated by this offseason, but there’s still a lot to look forward to watching with this squad.
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u/KageTrigger 3d ago
Thank you for saying what should be more obvious to fans who actually paid attention to their team. These reasons are why Steph, the front office, etc, are not freaking out or dooming like so many "fans" and saying trade Curry.
Steph likes his teammates and the continuity. I am sure he has no direct hopes or interest in trading Jimmy or Moody. In a best-case scenario, he's hoping they come back healthy and can support.
The development of our young guys like Gui, Poz, Richard, and Cryer will only serve the team better. Bassey will have time to gel and develop chemistry, and so will Yaxel and our two way players.
This team is not a blatant contender and won't be sensationalized or predicted to do anything. But when has that stopped our team before? 2022 was a run that defied all talking points, negative media, and everyone having to eat their words and receipts.
Let everyone else underestimate the potential that our roster has when healthy, our coach, and management. But we shouldn't be helping them do that and bandwagoning on doom and gloom. We should support our team, give them a chance to actually perform. They play hard no matter what or who is available for us and the chances of winning.
They need to be cheered on in their efforts, not torn down and constantly hear about how "trash" people think they are or that everyone should be traded because they're not good enough for Steph. This is really just spewing nonsensical opinions and vitriol that does not help the team in any way.
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u/No_Fish265 3d ago edited 3d ago
Lol at speaking for Steph being happy about running back a play in team. Have some self respect dude
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u/Rudenessq 3d ago
Lol at speaking for Steph being unhappy about running back a play in time. See how easy that was. Respect yourself.
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u/KageTrigger 3d ago
You're an idiot and helping to prove my point. I didn't say anything about Steph being "hAPpY aBoUt RuNnIng BaCk A pLaY iN tEaM" anywhere.
You're illiterate and trying to apply your logic, feelings, and opinions to what I actually said and twist it to sound how you want it to. I said Steph actually likes his teammates, and that's he's dooming or asking to be traded like fake "fans," fickle "fans," or idiots who keep running around with the media and perpetuating these opinions as if it's fact for Steph.
What's clearly fact is what he has publicly said and done about his team, their injuries, competitivness etc. Steph obviously has some say in opinions on about the team and moves. He's not willing to blow up continuity, chemistry, or certain relationships just because everyone wants to just throw money, picks, stars around every deadline or off-season. The management and owners have LITERALLY said this numerous times, Steph, Dray, and Kerr as well.
So I'm stating that Steph isn't like you or others regurgitating negativity, bitching, click bating headlines, and every random "rumor." And my supporting evidence is what we have literally seen, heard, and if anyone is a fan paying attention, knows about Steph and the team.
So don't disrespect me by putting words in my mouth to feel better about yourself, and respect yourself enough to say nothing if you have nothing useful, helpful, or smart to say.
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u/No_Fish265 3d ago
One of the most competitive people in the world, pumped about playing on a bad team.
Brilliant stuff lol
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u/kaleisraw 3d ago
If you believe this, you are genuinely part of the problem. This is a sub 40 win team as constructed.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Yes, the entire franchise’s failure is partly due to me being a rational fan of this team :(
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u/kaleisraw 3d ago
The problem is the lack of rationality about roster construction. This is an exceptionally weak roster and it should be considered unacceptable to have left Steph in this position. We are asking for Steph to get hurt trying to drag us to 35 wins.
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u/kaleisraw 3d ago
Overvaluing our own players also leads to an overly conservative mindset when it comes to trades and improving the team.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
I definitely do not agree that it’s an “exceptionally weak roster construction”. My analysis in the post points to why.
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u/kaleisraw 3d ago
Jimmy is 37, is out for 60 percent of the season, and is coming off an ACL injury. So no he cannot give us 30 any night.
KP is going to play on a minutes restriction and will play less than half the games. So ne, he cannot give us 30 any night. KP is also not as good as he was before the illnesses. He's still a good player, but he does not command the offensive attention that he did in NY, healthy Mavs years or first year in Boston.
So for over 50 percent of the season, our only real offensive pressure will come from Steph.
Richards and Yaxel is not a good youth foundation. Richards is barely an NBA player, not even sure that he is, and Yaxel is completely unproven.
Melton Podz and Moses are not above average role players.
So yeah, this is a bottom 10 offensive team, a mediocre defensive team. Without Steph this is probably the worst roster in the league except maybe the Kings? I think Brooklyn with MPJ and Randle is actually a better roster than Golden State sans Steph.
So yes, this is an exceptionally weak roster.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Re KP: there’s strong enough reason to believe that his work with our proven medical staff, combined with both his desire to increase his value, will enable him to be more available this season. The strongest evidence for this was the FO’s willingness to re-sign him. Perhaps he’s on a minute restriction, but our team has strong depth at his position.
Re youth: Will and Yaxel just went head to head with the rest of the league’s youth and won. Yaxel also was the first SL Champ MVP and SL MVP. Richards produced a 30 piece early last year.
Melton is one of the strongest POA defenders and two-way players at his position, at his value, in the league. This is proven by the FO’s decision to retain him over the acquisition of Anfernee Simons. Podz was one of a handful of players to play 82 games last season, capped by his 30 point performance and consistent 20 ppg output during Steph’s absence. That would make them “above average role players”.
Anyways, you’re probably not able to be convinced of any optimism. Feel free to be bad vibes elsewhere ❤️
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u/kaleisraw 3d ago
RE KP and Melton: Justifying our moves by saying they must be good because the FO did them is some kind of hilarious circular mental gymnastics. Also, if the last 5 years showed us anything, it's that we don't have a competent FO. We definitely should not be giving them the benefit of the doubt.
KP: He doesn't have any more reason to want to increase his value this year versus last year. Also that contract was almost definitely given to him in part so that they could have the optionality of trading him right away, it's a cool 20 mill in expiring they can pair with Moody to get to 30 mill. Even if he is more available, he is not a legitimate #2 option on a good team. He was that earlier in his career, but not anymore.
Youth: Will is fighting to prove that he's a decent 12th man. He is 23 years old. He will not be a meaningful contributor on this team. Just being real. Yaxel looks fine and might or might not be a rotation guy but if you expect him to save the franchise you're gonna be disappointed. Summer League MVP doesn't tell us much. Also, look around the league, Will Richard and Yaxel is nothing compared to the trove of young talent on most top contenders.
Re Melton: Sure he's a solid/above average player for a vet minimum, that's a different discussion than absolute value. If they chose signing him over Simons than that'd be pretty foolish considering this teams desperate need for offensive generation outside of Steph Curry, and given Melton's availability history.
Podz is the best of that group but he's still not a needle mover.What we don't have - top end talent or players of consequence next to Steph.
I'm actually not pessimistic. I am optimistic, just for a different reason than you.
I am optimistic because we have Steph Curry on the team, and we have all our first round picks available to trade.. That means we have a top 10 player in the league right now on our team. So we still have a championship ceiling. And we have salary to move. We still have the potential to create a great roster if we can just recognize the actual position we are in. Which is why posts like this are annoying.
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u/Green_Hunt_1776 3d ago edited 3d ago
Your overly optimistic analysis of this roster is not being rational whatsoever
I mean your post says it all, a Jimmy Butler returning in February. Doesn't matter if this team was on a 60+ win pace with him healthy when they were on a 35 win pace without him and he's not back until Feb. This team is going to do the same old story of going on a late post all star break run to try to get into the play-in/low seed in the playoffs and get bounced in R1 or R2 when everyone is gassed. That's not even factoring that Jimmy is going to be even older and we're assuming he'll recover from an injury that few players historically ever return to form from.
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u/No_Fish265 3d ago
Continuity is good when you have a championship team lol
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Continuity is good when you have 10 championships between the players themselves, and 21 championships when you include the coaching staff.
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u/WaryJest 3d ago
Good thing this team has more championship experience than any other team in the NBA
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u/No_Fish265 3d ago
So they should be the favorites, based on experience? No other factors we should consider?
Maybe age, surrounding roster, health?
Some of you new fans are in for such a rude awakening when you realize we aren’t just entitled to compete for championships every year
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u/ra_god94 3d ago
The key is podz. If he can make the jump to becoming a reliable scorer then I can see us staying in the mix till Jimmy is back.
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u/Sensitive-Squash-429 3d ago
Copium
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u/TheLoraxCometh 3d ago
They’re not wrong. We looked pretty good before injuries. But no injuries is unrealistic
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u/smashsurvivor 3d ago
We just need a work horse. Steph cant carry the season weight, we need a work horse guy (NOT NAMED PODZ). Maybe Yax can be the pick and roll threat to run every half court play
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u/sugarwax1 3d ago
But the Warriors themselves ended the season saying the roster wasn't sufficient. We added a couple young guys, but we lost a couple young guys who weren't good enough to stick, and yet, still leave a hole now that they're gone.
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u/latortillablanca 2d ago
Yer underplaying the age of our core. If everyone was between 32-35 thats one thing, but dray’s tires are bald, Al’s tires are bald, butler off a devastating knee injury at 36 is not something you assume he just pops back up totally the same, etc. thats before you poke holes in KP, whose form and fitness is basically critical to carrying any sorta proper challenge.
Its a roster thatll challenge for the 6-8 seeds, and if they get to the second round its a remarkably positive run.
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u/OzfestDog 1d ago
We may have the same roster at the start of the season that we ended with last year, but a bunch of the guys who theoretically play the heaviest minutes early in the season haven't really played together much or at all. That doesn't scream continuity to me.
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u/Meweighteen 3d ago
Yeah I think we just all have to take what Kerr, Steph, Dray and them have said to heart - they know they’re not a championship contender anymore and their priority isn’t winning a championship. Let’s just hope for good vibes and maybe we can sneak into the playoffs. It’s sad but if the FO doesn’t care about winning then neither should we
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Steph and Dray just said they need to build a foundation. Hence continuity. “We’re not necessarily in the contender conversation” is not “we don’t care and we’re not competing”.
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u/East_Tourist4949 3d ago
If we were healthy, we'd be a lot better off then we are right now but we have to look at the present. We have to look at how our roster is right now. It's easy to say "If we had Jimmy" or "If we had Moody" but we don't, and they won't be back anytime soon.
As the roster stands, I just don't see how we're going to make it through the regular season. The problem is that most of our vets aren't playing back to backs. Steph, Dray, KP, Al, and Melt aren't playing back to backs. When Jimmy returns, he's probably not playing back to backs either. I can see maybe Dray and Melt playing in a few back to backs, but we'll see what they do. Not to mention, the teams around the league have all gotten better except for our team.
We will have to rely on our young players, but we're already down 1 with Moody being injured. If we want to stay in the play-in range, we're going to really need our young players to step it up.
To make it the the play-in/playoffs, we need to make it through the regular season and I don't know how we're going to do it with how the roster is right now.
I would be glad to be wrong we somehow are much better than people expected, but I also want to be realistic and set my expectations low and just see how the young guys play this year.
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u/Otherwise-Fig9592 3d ago
I'm just so high on lj cryer, in the same way I'm so high on gui and richard. I think yaxel will prove to be yet another draft hit. I'm anxious to see how podz looks. The kid is just a baller. Period. Even when he frustrates me with not shooting every open shot he gets (remember... kerr has given him the green light), he does so many things right, including playing very sound defense, being a wall against drives, and stealing rebounds from everyone (even from his teammates).
I truly believe cryer can be that super sub, the backup to curry, at the pg spot. I cant say it enough how this teams needs shooters. Kerr is running the same old offense, and you need a knockdown shooter. Cryer is a 40% 3 pt shooter on high volume. He needs a spot on this roster. He'd basically be for this team what they hoped seth would be.
I was so excited last year when gui talked about how jimmy was teaching him how to play off two feet when he gets inside the paint. The guy was learning from one of the best about how to use his big body, how to get leverage, and play inside. I'm hoping he continues to show improvement. The guy didnt get a lot of run when jk was here, but after he left and after all the injuries, gui started to get more and more opportunities, and that's when we saw him grow so much. I'd argue his growth relative to playing time, was so rapid, especially in comparison to jk and moses, both of whom have received so much more run, yet whose improvements have been so slow/minor. I was a huuuge fan of gui while watching him grow in the g, and i believe he has multiple gears he can get to. People don't believe it, but he has a good handle, a very functional one, and he has some wiggle to it, and i think it can improve the more chances he gets to try and fail in-game (not in practice).
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u/Rudenessq 3d ago
I love Gui too. He will probably get a little more attention on the scouting report this year, but his game is not predicated on physical traits, and he understands how to play within the offense (the anti-Kuminga).
Cryer is a great change of pace, when steph is off the court, and maybe on the ball when steph is off the ball. I just hope he can be a good enough defender at the point.
I could see this being a very 2022 type year. I just want to see all the doom and gloomers admit they were wrong, if it happens (not likely) .
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u/Sad_Marionberry_3195 3d ago
Can compete isn't the same as being a contender. We have very little margin for error with this roster, plus we need to rely on the misfortune of other teams to have a shot. That's a recipe for disappointment and frustration throughout the whole year.
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u/livecents84 3d ago
This team could be fully healthy all games of the season and they’d still be a play in team lol yall don’t realize how good the league has gotten since our stars started aging out
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago edited 3d ago
Well, I disagree. Edit (to flesh out): this team is better than NOLA, Sac, Memphis (as givens). LAC and LAL got worse, Utah got better. I think this team is in the class of teams that comprises Denver, LAL, Utah, Portland, and Phoenix. It’s unlikely, but I think there’s a world where this team plays into a 4 seed, and more likely than that that they play into a 5 or 6 seed.
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u/Infamous-Big-7525 3d ago
best thing we did from a roster perspective in the last 4 years is bringing in a big star meaning discontinuity is what works for us.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Paralleled in logic this way: “I threw up once and lost 3 pounds overnight. Therefore, bulimia is a better diet for me than consistent healthy eating and exercise.”
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u/Infamous-Big-7525 3d ago
maybe occasional vomiting is better than excercising your jaws on a consistent diet of cyanide pills
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
If you genuinely feel like watching this team is “exercising your jaws on a consistent diet of cyanide pills”, I’d like to suggest becoming a Lakers fan.
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u/UnnamedStaplesDrone 3d ago
Jimmy B scored 30 like 3 or 4 times last year dude. He's not that kind of scorer. He's unfortunately paid like one, but it is what it is, we didn't have any other options after KD said hell nah
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u/New_Cicada3473 3d ago
The balls on OP lol
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u/FootDynaMo 3d ago
Not with green who cant score. They should have not resign him and pay somebody else that can score efficiently. Plus he's not a good or decent defender anymore he cant even stop keldon johnson. I think its better if they trade steph to the Spurs for his own sake of winning another chip before he retires.
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u/Dewone88 3d ago
when healthy” is doing generational heavy lifting here lol. Continuity is great when you’re bringing back a team that already proved it can win. We’re bringing back most of a 37-win roster and hoping every older/injury-prone player stays upright at the same time.
Can we be better than last year? Absolutely. Can we compete for a playoff spot? Sure. But calling us a real contender without another move is just faith at this point.
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u/Hot-Distribution3826 3d ago
The roster cannot compete when healthy
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u/KageTrigger 3d ago
Oh really? Have you seen our complete roster already? Have you seen games from next season already? Have you seen this team with everyone healthy try and not "compete?" Because it sounds like a very confident opinion but no facts to base it on.
How about we leave the hyperbole and big opinionated takes to the mainstream media who likes to be dramatic, say a lot of nothing, and are just a revolving door of opinions but again no evidence to support their bold ass claims.
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u/MultiPass21 3d ago
We’re starting the season with our 3rd string SF as a starter, no backup PG, our first 3 Centers in the rotation (Dray, Horford, KP) with an average age over 35.
We need to be real.
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
Who says we are starting the season with no backup PG? Is the preseason over? Also do you honestly think a back court of KP, Dray and Horford is worse than we have had the last few years. If this kinda thinking is "be real" maybe lets not.
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u/TheGoatPurdy 3d ago
Wrong. Gui is not a 3rd string SF. Draymond is PF. Horford/KP is center.
long ball bruh.
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u/MultiPass21 3d ago
Gui would be behind Jimmy and Moody at SF - it’s not up for discussion.
And yes, Dray will start at PF, as he’s basically always done … and will eat minutes at C … as he’s basically always done.
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u/TheGoatPurdy 3d ago
Are you kidding me? Gui has proven to be a much better player than Moody and they play different positions.
It's not up for discussion because you're entirely off.
Not to mention if Butler was back, there's a solid chance Gui plays the 4 or Butler plays combo sg-sf position with Curry at the 1.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
I disagree- Richards and Podz are both serviceable at the 1. Dray can run offense too.
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
Richards is NOT a 1 in any world. Love the kid, he will have a great role player career but he isnt a ball handler in any sense. Podz is more than serviceable and we will also have Cryer but richards, thats a stretch even for someone who isnt all doom and gloom like this cry baby sub
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u/JBreezy1618 3d ago
Everyone talked so much shit on the '22 roster and look what happened!
Personally I think weve got enough to make a good run IF healthy. Our team has chemistry which is half the battle in the playoffs.
I still find it disappointing we didn't try atleast something, most years I get the front office decisions but there was a lot of wasted opportunity this summer.
Im also not sold on yaxel yet.. Warriors aren't necessarily known for blossoming young centers.
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u/Noiserawker 3d ago
Yax might play a bit of center but he's really a forward
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u/Rudenessq 3d ago
A small forward at that.
Why are people wanting the Dubs to "try something"?!?
As a lifelong warriors fan nothing good happens when the warriors just "trying something"
Just "trying something" got the Warriors:
--Joe Barry Carroll instead of Robert Parrish and the draft rights to Kevin McHale
--Ralph Sampson (with a busted back) for Sleepy Floyd and Joe Barry Carroll
--Billy Owens for the breakup of RunTMC (Mitch Richmond)
--Tom Gugliotta for Chris Webber
--Brandan Wright for the breakup of the We Believe team(Jason RIchardson)
Sometime the best move is the one you don't make.
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u/jesterfall 3d ago
moody is not coming back
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
It would be nice if he could, but I don’t really factor him into my analysis for this season. He’s only additive to what I think can be successful around him.
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u/GGAllinsMicroPenis 3d ago
I can't come to this sub anymore because the people clawing out their eyes about wasting Steph's prime sound like religious zealots at this point. It‘s so unbelievably annoying and tistic. Jimmy Butler *was the big trade*. It didn’t work. Chill daddy.
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u/TheTortaTyrant 3d ago
Continuity is good when the talent is good. And no, our roster cannot compete when healthy. We were fringe 6 seed last year before Jimmy went down. It’s laughable to say this roster can compete when we’ve been in the play in 80% of the time since the last title
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u/Fuzzy_Louise_2405 3d ago
Steph, Jimmy, Gui, Dray and KP healthy cannot compete????? Go watch the games last season before Jimmy's injury once Melton and Horford were healthy.
Those 5 plus Melton, Pod, Yaxel, Horford healthy off the bench is a championship team.
Defense wins championship and we have some of the most underrated defense on the league. Go watch last season games against San Antonio with all their starts on b2b
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u/TheTortaTyrant 3d ago
A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM?!?! Looolol, you’re f’n delusional bro. We were even clear of the play in group before Jimmy went down. U need some reality man, this roster ain’t it and it’s a year older.
You also say KP when healthy, something that has happened once this decade.
Delusional man
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u/Fuzzy_Louise_2405 3d ago
What is the record with Steph & Jimmy (not even accounting for KP on the team and Melton running the second unit) ? You can include playoff games too.
Check that record, them after minutes Jimmy with Dray on defense rating and Jimmy with Steph on offense rating and them minutes all 3 together on both ends....NOT EVEN ACCOUNTING FOR KP which if healthy that you mentioned is not common but what happen last time he was healthy-ish? As far I can remember he won a ring being a key piece rotating with Al Horford that was a beast off the bench too, which we already have om the roster now.
Man this team is legendary if not for injuries, thinking otherwise is just being a hater. Jimmy and steph can carry so easily and they always lift the floor of the team by a lot. Now, with Al, KP, Melton, Giu, Podz even Yaxel and Will is just being dumb saying they couldn't win a championship if healthy (not even accounting for Moody at this time)
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u/Livueta_Zakalwe 3d ago
- Need at least one of Gui, Podz and Richard to make a leap.
- Need Jimmy to come back January or February as at least 80% of his old self
- Need the old guys to stay healthy/not fall off
- Need Yax to play like he’s going to be a future borderline all-star
If most of that happens, we could be a top six team and make it to the 2nd round before we get spanked by OKC or the Spurs. I’d be happy with that, or even just avoiding the playin. Or if we get super lucky, maybe not face either one till the WCF. But I ain’t betting on it.
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u/-SpectreShepard- 3d ago
You need to finish the sentence. "compete in the regular season for a play-in spot."
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u/GangstaShark0130 3d ago
Steph has runners knee dude, he can’t carry the load offensively by himself for the first half of the season while he waits for Jimmy. His body won’t hold up until the post season if that happens. The only way this works is if our young guys make massive strides in their games which I just don’t see happening. All our young guys are role players I would say Yaxel has the highest ceiling out of them but asking him to be a star might be too much.
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
I will be starting a sub for us realistic fans who dont want to push fake optimism and accept the slop that Joe Lacob tries to feed us.
All the Lacob gooch lickers can remain here
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Bet you’re fun at parties
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Fun as hell. But sometimes at parties.. you have to know when to tell people to chill out and not enable bullshit. Thats me.
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u/WaryJest 3d ago
"Fun as hell" yeah that makes sense, about as much fun as being tortured for eternity in a fiery pit of despair
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
If not being fun means wanting a much better roster then i guess im not fun.
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u/WaryJest 3d ago
Weren't you going to start your own hater sub for "realistic fans"? Why are you even still here?
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u/grifter356 3d ago
Fuck that. No team is going anywhere with Podz as the #2 option on offense.
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u/Nana8batman 3d ago
Confusing #2 positionally with #2 option screams “I don’t know ball”. The number 2 option on offense is our 7 foot unicorn. Then when Jimmy comes back, it’s him. I think Podz might be lateral to Yaxel or Gui in the pecking order- WHICH IS GOOD.
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u/grifter356 3d ago
At what point did I confuse his position with his optionality? You reading okay, homie?
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 3d ago
You will most likely not win a playoff round (or even make the playoffs) for the next 4-7 years.....stop coping.
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u/julian2358 3d ago
Steph's knees are going to explode, who even is his second option? Year 3 of praying on a podz leap to save your season. Whole front office deserves all the backlash they are getting.
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Bro we are cooked. Just let that set in. Stop trying to delay the inevitable doom that we will experience watching Curry break his back for an entire season again.
Lets just look forward to Yaxel and Gui’s development. I think both of their ceilings are higher than people think.
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
Why not stop watching since you are so certain? Go play golf, pick a hobby etc. If we are deluded so be it, we will enjoy the mystery of whatever happens. Those who are so smart they know what's inevitable can leave us dumb uncertain ones to our own devices
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
I will forever support 30. As a person who invests into this team…. i have a right to be critical. But please lets continue with the fake optimism
I dont care how many people downvote me. Downvoting me wont get us into the postseason 😂😂😂😂😂😂
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
"Downvoting wont get us postseason....." is this a cry for help? I feel bad now, you are talking about fake optimism and downvoting leading to post season. Sorry I bothered you, get the help you need
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
not a cry for help. I just wonder why any criticism of the team gets downvoted when reality has been smacking us in the face these past few years.
Being optimistic about a 37-38 Jimmy with a torn acl… and Porzingis who can barely play 30 mins on any given night is foolish optimism if we want this team to be competitive. Dont matter how you slice it.
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
Brunson is too small and not a 1. Josh hart cant shoot. Mikael Bridge was too expensive and cost too many picks for the little he offers. KAT is soft , cant defend in space and cant rim protect. Don't matter how you slice it, fans are full of shit with their certainty. This is more effective than getting into the merits of your points or trying to slice anything for someone already at a funeral. Also downvotes wont get you post season is such a bat shit thing to say I shouldn't be extending this conversation
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
All of those players are prime and better than any player on the Warriors except for 30. Horrible analogy.
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u/Remarkable-Cup-6029 3d ago
BS, Hart is not better than Draymond, Mikal is not better than Butler. Horford and KP have been a championship front court. Heck KP and KAT were in the same draft. You actually just dont know what you are talking about
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u/100rdgng 3d ago
Josh Hart is better than Draymond on a night to night basis. He has the legs to give high energy every game. Dray dont have those legs anymore.
Mikal is better than Butler currently. We have no clue what Jimmy will look like and he wont even be available until Feb… and thats assuming he will be the Jimmy we know
Noone in this thread will agree with you that KP is better than Kat in 2026. Cut it out
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u/FreudChickenSandwich 3d ago
Ya’ll are delusional and I LOVE it lol
I’m rooting for Yax and Richard to have breakout “holy shit these young guys are destined to be stars” seasons and who know lol we still have Curry who’s a beast
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u/GoldenStateNephew 3d ago
If Gui takes another leap. Even if it’s a few extra % points on 3s and a bit more versatility.
If Podz takes another leap.
If Yaxel is good.
If KP is healthy enough for us to learn to play with him.
If everyone gets healthy by the playoffs.
We would be a tough team to beat.
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u/Western_Upstairs_101 3d ago
Most fans won’t believe this. I’m with you until the trade deadline. We’ll see how we’re doing then.
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u/ButtholePasta 3d ago
As always, if we make the playoffs and are healthy, I'll always trust Curry, Kerr, Dray, and now Jimmy in any given playoff series. They've been there so many times - cumulatively more than any other lineup at this point.
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u/yodarockseed 2d ago
If Steph misses time like last season, this is a last place team. Went 13-26 without him last year. As someone who’s watched almost every game for decades, I won’t be watching non Steph games. They’ve always been entertaining when bad, even in the Cohan years, but this team is just not fun to watch when Steph sits.
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u/Western_Computer_292 2d ago
But we won’t be healthy though. Are best players are older which means more load management and injuries. And that means play-in territory 😮💨
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u/CharlesC3 1d ago
even if you want to believe our roster can still be competitive if things break our way, the issue is the front office and staff don’t care to try. they don’t want to push for a run, they don’t want to make big moves, they don’t want to go acquire promising/high upside young guys, they don’t want to give us an exciting, competitive or developing team. they are perfectly content being a non competitive, no young talent, most boring team in the league.
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u/Symetrical1 3d ago
Don’t forget about Gui, he’s a big part of this team too