The Golden State Warriors should have been title contenders entering the upcoming season. Unfortunately, a slight turn of events has them looking in different directions.
In a parallel universe, the Golden State Warriors would have entered the 2021 season with a healthy Klay Thompson and a real chance to take back the throne. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and Thompson is likely to miss the entire season.
Where does that put the Warriors? Can they still contend without him? Maybe, but probably not due to the tough competition in the Western Conference. So what now?
While injuries are no fun at all, Steph’s wrist injury last season was a blessing in disguise for the Warriors. Instead of being a fifth-eighth seed last season without Klay, the Warriors ended up being the worst team in the league, which netted them a young star in James Wiseman.
This year, the Warriors are in the exact same situation. They’re a better team than they were last year and may even be a top-four seed. But can they beat the Lakers or Clippers in a best-of-seven series without Klay Thompson? Not likely.
Fortunately, the Warriors own the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round pick in this year’s very deep and talented draft. But imagine if the Warriors had two lottery picks in this draft, to go along with 19-year-old James Wiseman.
Not only that, but in 2022, Klay should return and the Warriors may be in for another title run while having three potential young stars to carry the torch once Steph and Klay are done. But for that to happen, the Warriors will need to tank.
Again, last year, with Klay out, the dubs got very lucky to finish last instead of in the middle. This year, they probably won’t finish in the bottom half of the league, and they cannot tank. They owe it to Steph.
There’s no need to talk about what Steph has done for the Warriors, we all know that. And now, at 32-years-old, the Warriors owe it to him to give him the best opportunity to win, and they have, having traded for Kelly Oubre.
So the Warriors won’t be able to tank intentionally, but if they miss this year’s playoffs, it could be another blessing in disguise and another step towards a great future.