The Weight of the Franchise: Are the Golden State Warriors Too Dependent on Stephen Curry?

“How long has the weight of the franchise been on his shoulders? Fifteen years? We can’t just ask Steph to carry us night after night.” Responding to criticism of his choice to deliberately bench Stephen Curry for nine straight minutes in the second half last Monday – nine minutes in which the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from 5 points to take a 9-point lead – Steve Kerr put his finger on the Golden State Warriors’ main problem. They are far too dependent on their superstar.

The main player assures that he had the legs and the energy to return to the field and possibly avoid the narrow defeat (114-110) against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Maybe he’s not that tired. But the Warriors are. Probably more mentally than physically. Because although they are finally evolving completely, although they are developing very attractive basketball at times, they still cannot find a rhythm worthy of their status. Wear and tear are felt in the voices after each poor performance.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James during the match between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers

Credit: Getty Images

“We continue to lose matches. Above all, we continue to lose matches that we are supposed to win”, rightly underlines Draymond Green. Golden State displays a negative differential in situations defined as “clutch” by the NBA, namely those with less than 5 points difference on the scoreboard and less than 5 minutes to play. Despite a metronome like Chris Paul and arsonists like Curry or Klay Thompson, the Californians scored 114 points on 100 possessions in this context against 121 conceded. They rank 19th, essentially ahead of teams that have no aspirations of making the Playoffs or going far.

“We don’t have good habits,” Green also remarks. Worrying, of course, but also surprising for a franchise that was titled only two years ago. It seems so far away now. Golden State is a play-in team today. She can’t even aim for better than ninth place, knowing that her tenth place is hanging by a thread. The Dubs can feel the breath of the Houston Rockets on the back of their necks. Indeed, with their nine victories in a row, the Texans are almost tied with the 2022 champions.

The little ones chased the big ones off the field

Steve Kerr’s squad ultimately did even worse than last year, when they finished sixth before overthrowing the Sacramento Kings in seven innings during the first round. All that to then be pulverized by the Los Angeles Lakers. Hollywoodians that they will find during the play-in, if however they manage to resist the return of the Rockets. In the best-case scenario, the Warriors will play the first round against the top seed in the West… currently the Denver Nuggets, who succeeded them in 2023.

Even the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Timberwolves, still in the fight for the lead in the Conference, would not have to fear an opponent with a past as glorious as that of the Warriors. The wind has turned. Times change, and so do generations. Green can provoke Rudy Gobert or make fun of Karl-Anthony Towns, but his team is no longer scary. The young people have taken charge, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders, the Anthony Edwards, and they are overtaking the heavy legs of the executives with four NBA rings.

Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry: the trio around which the Warriors dynasty was built

Credit: Getty Images

The greatest dynasties tend to end the day the best player retires or changes franchises. Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers. There, the irony is that Stephen Curry is still there! And he’s still one of the five or six strongest basketball players on the planet. On the other hand, he has probably never been so lonely. Tim Duncan’s Spurs were able to extend their domination by finding relays for their generational player. First Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili then Kawhi Leonard.

Curry “suffers” the decline of Klay Thompson. The latter is obviously no longer the same since his injuries (cruciate ligaments, Achilles tendon) and he has even been relegated to the bench this season. So brilliant during the coronation, Andrew Wiggins did not pass the mark. Jordan Poole was once considered to take over but he was traded. So who will keep this team afloat and take some pressure off the leader’s shoulders?

L’espoir Jonathan Kuminga

One of the rare bright spots in this dreary season comes from Jonathan Kuminga. The 21-year-old winger, seventh pick in the 2021 draft, is reaching a milestone during his third year in the league. He is even already Golden State’s second best player on offense. He is averaging 20 points, 54% shooting and 38% three-point shooting in 33 matches (19 wins) since January 11, just after putting pressure on the staff to play more minutes. He’s a potential star but he’s not quite ready to be considered a true second option in games that matter.

Maybe next year, in what looks on paper like a final run for the Warriors. Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, two promising rookies, will be a year older. The CP3 contract will limit finances less and will possibly make it possible to recruit one or two experienced bench players. A transfer of Wiggins is possible. But without a real number two, this team will not be able to aim for better than anecdotal qualification for the playoffs.

The other option, obviously, is to break it. Let Thompson go. Sacrifice Green. But that means completely changing the way the team plays by definitively turning the page. Perhaps the Warriors would even prefer to die with their ideas and historical frameworks.

2024-03-26 12:33:00
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