The Golden State Warriors’ 2023-24 season abruptly ended in April with Play-In disappointment after their crushing loss to the Sacramento Kings.
While some people believed they could pull it off, many had already seen the signs and problems the Warriors have had this season and written them off.
This up-and-down approach was also mimicked in sports betting and how people chose to place wagers on the Warriors. Some people still looked to defy NBA odds and bet on the Warriors to claim their fifth chip, whereas other fans were more realistic and bet against the Dubs to fail to win the play-in.
Indeed, this sports-betting contrast mimics their actual season performance⎯ sometimes they looked like the champions of old, but other times, they looked average.
Let’s take a step back and see what positives and negatives we can take from the Warriors 2023−24 NBA season.
The Highs⎯ Young Core Development
Possibly the best aspect of this season was Steve Kerr finally realizing that he needed to give his young players minutes.
When he did this, the results were pleasing, and we’ve seen breakout seasons from four Warriors youngsters.
Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis have all been fantastic. Podziemski and TJD, in particular, have been beacons of light for the Dubs and have both been given increased court time.
Kuminga has shown the biggest development, though, taking his numbers up to 16.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG⎯ a major improvement from the 2022−23 season (9.9 PPG/3.4 RPG). The development of these players is the main takeaway from the season and it’s great to see a new generation coming through to take up the mantle.
The Lows⎯ The Decline of the Old Core
Despite the young core flourishing, the Dubs had many issues with their old core, playstyle and inconsistencies. Firstly, oftentimes, they are just too small.
Teams capable of fielding big lineups like the Nuggets, Lakers and Wolves flat out dominated them. Their relatively free-flowing, fast-paced offense was somewhat lacking too, especially with the decline of Klay Thompson this season.
The Erratic Behavior of Draymond Green
We’ve got to talk about it.
A big part of the Warriors’ inconsistency was the increasingly erratic behavior by Draymond Green. Too many histrionics, too many suspensions, too much talk, and not enough support for the team.
Despite a 12-game suspension and numerous fans, players and media outlets declaring he needs help, Green doesn’t think so.
It’s unclear how many more seasons Draymond Green has left in the NBA, but he’ll need to really consider how he wants them to pan out.
The Inconsistency of Klay Thompson
Where do we start with Klay?
What a mixed season for one of the Splash Brothers, with a horrendous ending. Klay would often shoot them out of the game⎯ he regularly launched contested bricks and continued to do so even when he was in a slump.
This eventually got to the point where he was benched for the first time in his career. That stretch of bench play was probably the best of the season for him, though, and he picked up his numbers.
We all know how it ended, though, and Klay ultimately had one of his worst shooting nights of all time with a 0-for-10 performance in their play-in loss to Sacramento.
He might have played his last game for the Warriors but if not, he needs to accept a lesser role and take a pay cut to help the team.
Change Needs to Happen to Reignite the Dubs
If the Warriors don’t make any serious changes this offseason, it will be highly surprising.
Something needs to give. The current roster just isn’t it and as the core of Draymond, Steph and Klay continues to age and decline, their sheer talent alone isn’t going to be enough.
The young core has to be developed and given more time to shine, but perhaps offloading the contracts of Green and Thompson and bringing in some fresh star talent could turn the fortunes of this failing Dubs team.
For many, it’s sad to see it, but unless something drastic happens, it looks to be the end of the dynasty.
Leave a comment