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

The Golden State Standard

Developing talent is almost as crucial as drafting it. While stars like Zion Williamson are obvious picks, players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and especially Draymond Green need to be put in the fire and molded in order to thrive at the highest level.

Through the first years of this trio’s existence, they struggled. However, unlike the Lakers, they didn’t retain Monta Ellis and trade their young stars in hopes to get to the top by skipping that development step.

Not many remember Curry’s third season in the league, which was almost a decade ago, in which he averaged 14.7 points and played in under 30 games, nor do they remember Draymond’s second season in the league where he almost averaged more turnovers than assists per game.

Like with the Sixers and even the Nuggets, it’s about developing your talent. The Sixers had a few absolutely terrible seasons as they awaited the development of Joel Embiid. With the Nuggets, they’re also building their drafted team with Nikola Jokic leading the way.

This should be the gold standard in the NBA, and the Warriors have done it better than anyone else, winning three of the last five NBA championships.

It’s about building that winning culture, but you can go about that building in many different ways.