Golden State Warriors should still be considered the league’s golden standard

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the MVP trophy as Stephen Curry #30 celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the MVP trophy as Stephen Curry #30 celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Golden State Warriors should still be the league’s golden standard as they return to their original big three, all of which they drafted.

This offseason restored parity in the NBA. While the Golden State Warriors aren’t favored anymore, they’re still not far behind the superteams that were built to take them down.

Thankfully, there isn’t a team light years ahead of the competition like they’ve been the last three seasons.

NBA fans, in general, hated Kevin Durant‘s move to Golden State back in 2016. They knew what was about to happen throughout the next three seasons, and that nightmare became a reality. For Warriors’ fans, it was a dream come true.

Winning two-straight titles and only losing the third due to the injury bug, Golden State went from a dominant, world-class team to arguably the most talented team in league history. They somehow upgraded on the best regular-season team in league history.

Yes, I know they were 73-9 without Durant, but are we really going to say that team was more talented than the one two seasons ago or even last year? With Durant’s recent departure, the Warriors are back the core roster that made them great.

While the league is far more balanced now, there are still only a handful of teams that went about creating their superteam the “right” way. Only two of the superteams built their roster through the draft instead of buying their team.

That said, let’s dive into how the two superteam methods differ.