After the Warriors missed the playoffs the past couple of seasons, many were quick to write off Golden State as a bygone dynasty. But through 31 games this campaign, the Warriors are on pace for 66 wins in an 82-game regular season.
Draymond Green is a Defensive Player of the Year front-runner. Steph Curry is in the MVP conversation and could break his single-season 3-point record. Andre Iguodala has been slowed by a balky knee but is still a crafty contributor. Steve Kerr is still pulling the strings on the sideline. Kevon Looney is still chugging at center, unglamorous as his job may be. The only missing dynasty piece is Klay Thompson, who is expected to return in January.
Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated wrote a fascinating in-depth feature about the resurgence of the Warriors and spoke to Thompson about the team’s title aspirations. Klay took a big-picture look, telling Beck, “We can be one of the greatest dynasties—and it’s not over. I truly believe that.”
The Dubs’ dynasty started in the fall of 2014, when that squad rattled off a 16-game win streak en route to a 21-2 start. In the summer of 2015, the franchise hoisted its first Larry O’Brien trophy in 40 years. Then came 73-9, followed by back-to-back titles with Kevin Durant and then heartbreak in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, when the Warriors lost their final game at Oracle Arena in Oakland. That also marked Thompson’s last NBA game action.
It sounds like Klay could contribute to the Warriors right now if he wanted to, but the key is to get his conditioning back up after two years away from game speed. Thompson’s return will change everything for the Warriors, whose offense was built around the Splash Brothers during the dynasty days.
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Beck’s article focused on how the franchise is juggling its title aspirations while also developing youngsters like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and eventually James Wiseman.
“We’re a championship team,” Thompson told Beck. “So when they do step in and take our minutes, we expect them to have the same success we did, as far as just being a contender year in and year out.”
