One NBA Insider views the Warriors as title contenders in 2021

The Golden State Warriors, at least according to this NBA Insider, will bounce back and become NBA title contenders once again in 2021.

There’s no denying this season has been tough for the Golden State Warriors diehard fanbase. After five straight Finals appearances, they won just 15 games in their first 65.

They were so bad that not only will they get a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but they won’t be invited to the 22-team restart in Orlando, Florida. Their season will end with those 65 games, many of which were included in several losing streaks of over seven games.

While there were some silver linings to this season, most will see through those when they’re watching LeBron’s Lakers take on Kawhi’s Clippers in the Western Conference Finals.

That said, this team still has the parts to be a Finals contender. The only reason they weren’t at least a playoff contender was that Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for just five games.

This result was always going to happen for a team with a two-time MVP and a five-time All-Star getting minimal production from their best two players. Next season, though, it will be different, and even NBC Sports’ Tom Haberstroh believes so.

“I just think when you look at the Warriors, they have an MVP candidate in Steph Curry when he is healthy, and you got two All-Stars behind him in Draymond and Klay Thompson, not another team in the league can boast that, so I think the Warriors are going to be right at the top there with the other title contenders next season as long as everyone is healthy,” NBC Sports NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Grant Liffmann.

It’s a big “if” though as Stephen Curry has struggled with injuries throughout his career and Klay Thompson is coming off a torn ACL.

However, they’ll have a top-tier first-round pick, a mid-level exception and another eight-figure trade exception to work with this offseason to continue to enhance their roster. So, while those two could still miss some time, they’ll have the depth if Joe Lacob opts to spend the money.

A gap year was taken, and the Golden State Warriors, behind a healthy and rest core, should be able to come out as the Western Conference’s best team next season.