For the mere mortal teams, the Golden State Warriors have your answer. It’s in the draft, it’s through your culture, and it starts with your personnel.
After Klay Thompson‘s record-breaking performance against Chicago, it was yet again on display why the Golden State Warriors are so successful. It’s because of their team, their players, and the culture they’ve build.
If you didn’t know, prior to Klay Thompson’s record-breaking 14 threes in a game performance, Stephen Curry held the single-game record with 13. After a 23-point first half, it was Steph on the court and sideline cheering on his splash brother.
It was obvious that Curry was happy for his teammate breaking his record. That’s what success means to the Warriors. They’ve bred a team of unselfish ballplayers, a team that wants each other to be as successful as they want the team to be.
The blueprint for success was showcased through the draft.
The Dubs drafted Curry and Klay in the lottery and then snagged Draymond Green in the second round. As an organization, they built their roster from the ground up, albeit Monta Ellis did keep early 2000 fans on the edge of their seat.
Albeit they did sign Kevin Durant, they were a successful franchise and organization far before his arrival. With Durant, the team is practically unstoppable, and most of what lured Durant to Golden State can be found in their culture.
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Kerr’s belief in his star players and trust in them has been what’s made them a dynamic group. Kerr explained a bit of what’s made them so good for so long. It’s all in their comfort zone, and now the Dubs, after two years and back-to-back titles, have the understanding of each players spots and abilities.
ESPN quoted Kerr describing the situation similarly.
"“The continuity of being together now for a while, winning back-to-back titles together, I think there’s probably a better comfort zone, comfort area between the two of them than there’s ever been,” Warriors head Steve Kerr said."
According to ESPN, Curry, on the other hand, attributes the early and sustained success of Golden State directly to the work the team has put in.
"“We understand the game calls for certain efforts in terms of being a little bit more aggressive to shoot and to score based on different lineups we have out there and things like that. We put a lot of work in and have a lot of confidence when we’re out there on the floor. Try to create the best shots you can, force the issue a little bit if you need to.”"
This team is rewriting the history books of how to build a successful franchise. Check out how the Hawks are going about it right now. They bought into Trae Young, a successful young player, snagged an additional pick, and will grind with young, just like the Warriors did with Steph.
In this NBA, you have to be able to shoot, and the Warriors, who can shoot arguably better than any team in NBA history, have mastered that. Attributing the Warriors success solely to the draft is ignorant.
They’ve grown, got comfortable and have become the NBA’s best team for the third consecutive season.