The resurgence of the Golden State Warriors

Offseason Drama:

Heading into the last offseason, there was drama surrounding the return of Klay Thompson back to the bay. There was talk about the end of an era in Golden State.

That chatter turned into reality when Thompson signed a long-term deal with the defending Western Conference champion, Dallas Mavericks.

They are a long-time, all-time great trio and the original Warriors big three dismantled.

It was a tough pill to swallow, however, coming off two disappointing seasons, change needed to be made for the Warriors to maximize the years they had left with Stephen Curry.

Offseason Additions:

The Warriors went into the offseason with big shoes to fill. There were rumors about Paul George heading to Golden State, however, that didn’t happen.

Instead, they made minor additions, signing veterans like Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson to multi-year deals.

Depth in Action:

During the preseason, everything was clicking for the Warriors as they finished undefeated. This caused fans to ask if this team was built well enough to compete in a talented western conference yet again.

Through the first seven games of the season, that has certainly been the case as they’ve started off with a 6-1 record.

To begin the season against Portland, head coach Steve Kerr ran out a 12-man rotation through the entire game, laying the foundation of what to expect for the foreseeable future.

When asked by reporters if this would be a normality through the entire season, he responded telling the media this Warriors team has the most depth of any team he has coached.

Looking at the rotation in their most recent win against the Wizards, Draymond Green played the most with 29 minutes and Brandin Podziemski played the least with 13 minutes.

It has worked effectively through seven games and has allowed players like Hield to thrive in the Warriors system.

Offseason Additions At Work:

Hield has put together a hot start off the bench for the Warriors. In seven games, he has averaged 21.9 points per game on 51% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc.

Hield went into the season having to replace Klay Thompson’s three-point shooting production and he’s exceeded it so far.

Surprises:

Speaking of exceeding expectations, Draymond Green has stepped up through the first seven games, shooting an absurd 52.7% from downtown so far this season.

He’s revitalized his three-point shooting and turned back into his prime self when it comes to his confidence from long range.

While talking about all these positives, there hasn’t been much talk about Curry who has taken a back seat so far through seven games.

He injured his ankle in the only loss the Warriors have had against the Clippers, however, they proceeded to go 3-0 in the stretch without Curry.

He hasn’t needed to do much due to how well others have been contributing, which is promising to see.

Kerr may need to consolidate his rotations because it’s difficult to see a future where he’s rolling out 12-man lineups deep into the season, but who knows?

The Warriors are looking scary even with Curry not playing his best basketball and it raises the question if they could be contenders for the championship when the playoffs come around.

Owen Daszko is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email opd5073@psu.edu.