The Golden State Warriors have a great chance of making a Finals run this season. They have multiple stars on their team with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. They also have a player that’s really stepped up into a great player in Jordan Poole. With Golden State looking to capitalize on such a great core of talent, it begs the question, ‘will they regret not going all-in with this roster?’
They Will Regret Not Going All In
In recent years, the Warriors have struggled primarily due to injury. The 2019-20 season ended with the Warriors being the worst team in the west with only 15 wins. The 2020-21 season was a little better but ended with them narrowly missing the playoffs. This struggle is a blessing in disguise as they have been able to accumulate young talent.
This accumulation of wealth wasn’t capitalized on though, as the Warriors refused to move these picks. They were in trade talks for their picks the last few years but chose to select James Wiseman with the second pick in 2020 instead. Although Wiseman is still young with potential, he has been seen as a bust up until this point. The Warriors didn’t learn their lesson the next year as they took Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga in the lottery.
With the West being so open right now due to Devin Booker’s injury, the Warriors are seen as the current favorite to come out of the west. They’ve been a great team, but as they age some serious depth could help. With Curry and Draymond dealing with injuries throughout the season, and Thompson not coming back until mid-way through the season, it’s difficult to think they don’t regret another star. Andrew Wiggins was an All-Star this year but has struggled with consistency. Maybe making a move would’ve been favorable for this team.
They Won’t Regret Not Going All In
The Warriors have taken an interesting approach to how they hope to compete. This same approach can be somewhat mirrored by the Spurs, who had a dynasty then regained new stars in Kawhi Leonard and went back to competing. Inversely, the Celtics fell into this trap where they didn’t flip assets yet still have had enough talent to put up good fights in the playoffs the last couple of years.
On top of that, the Warriors have a great system. This is best managed with vets who buy-in. Players like Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II have bought into it this year. To replace their minutes for a star might look better on paper, but hurt the scheme. Lastly, this is a very non-isolation-heavy style of play so having players that don’t demand the ball helps.
So Will the Warriors Regret Not Buying In?
This is still debatable. The Warriors could end up winning the championship despite not going all in. They could also use these younger players to compete for years to come. This could also fail as they could lose in the playoffs and regret not making the necessary moves to compete. No matter what, this Warriors team is highly competitive and has a bright future.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
