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Can the Warriors Match or Better Last Season’s Win Total?

By Segun Giwa

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You know the story by now. Steve Kerr takes over the up and coming Golden State Warriors squad, Draymond Green gets inserted into the starting lineup, Stephen Curry has an MVP year and BAM…the Warriors win 67 games.

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The Warriors dominated both sides of the ball, posting a 111.6 offensive rating, and a 101.4 defense rating, first and second in the NBA respectively, on the way to cementing themselves as a top 10 team in NBA history. Including Golden State, there have been 17 teams in league history that have won 65+ games. Out of those teams, only the ’96 and ’97 Chicago Bulls have won 65+ games in back to back years. Can the Warriors win 65+ games in 2016?

Teams have had a whole season to prepare for the post-Mark Jackson Warriors, so coaching staffs around the league will likely devise new gameplans and strategies to stifle what the Warriors like to do, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Despite losing Alvin Gentry to New Orleans, the offense should be better next season. The Warriors had little roster turnover, and this will benefit them as a team because they won’t have to plug any new players into core roles, with newcomer Jason Thompson adding size to a team that needs it.

The Warriors’ chemistry steadily improved throughout the year, no matter what lineup Coach Kerr threw out there, and you could tell night in and night out by the fun they were having on the court. However, the Warriors turned the ball over way too much last season, averaging 14.5 turnovers per game, which ranked 18th in the NBA. The Warriors were able to steadily reduce their turnover rate as the season progressed, which should bode well for next season. The offense never really reached its full potential in 2015, but another training camp and more minutes together could get things clicking on all cylinders as the season goes along.

One of the main reasons the Warriors were able to win 67 games last season was their ability to avoid injury. Since the Warriors would often have big leads going into the fourth quarter, there was no need to play their stars too deep into the game. Stephen Curry averaged far less minutes per game (32.7) compared to stars Chris Paul (34.8), Blake Griffin (35.2), Anthony Davis (36.1), James Harden (37.4), and Damian Lillard (35.7).

Curry and the other Warriors are likely going to have to play heavier minutes this coming season with the loaded Western Conference getting even better. All of the serious contenders in the West (LA, Houston, Memphis, and San Antonio) have improved rosters, and improvements to the Jazz, Pelicans, and Suns raise the overall difficulty required to navigate the West. The Warriors have one of the toughest schedules in the league, with 20 back to backs (tied for league most), so it will be tough for the Warriors to match last season’s win total.

Player health will be the biggest deciding factor in the Warriors’ win total for next season, but if they are able to stay healthy, matching or improving their win total from last season isn’t completely out of the question. More familiarity with each other and the offense will provide the impetus for improvement, as well as the growth and maturity of the younger players.

But in the end, their regular season wins won’t mean as much as successfully defending their title.

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