The depleted Golden State Warriors are not being placed favorably by most of the analysts in the national media’s power rankings.
The Golden State Warriors were primed to be one of the best teams in basketball this coming season. They were looking at returning Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, two players that combined for five games a season ago.
Curry just had a fractured hand in the fourth game of the season; he was set to return as the league suspended play. For Thompson, he tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, and most know that he has since sustained another season-ending injury.
The Warriors won’t have Thompson this upcoming season. It’s going to hurt them moving forward. While they were able to add Kent Bazemore, Kelly Oubre Jr, and James Wiseman, one can not simply replace Klay Thompson.
That’s why the Warriors have tanked in power rankings, and why many may not think they’ll even contend for a playoff spot. After all, ESPN has them as the 13th-best team at the start of training camp.
The 13 from ESPN may have been gracious as well, considering NBC Sports place places the Warriors at No. 16. CBS Sports gave Golden State a bit more love, placing them at No. 12, one of their higher rankings.
All of those rankings indicate, especially with a weak Eastern Conference, that the Warriors won’t be a top-five team in the West. It could happen, but the analysts are doubting the team’s ability to preserver.
The Warriors aren’t great now, but this team has shown resilience in the past. They’ll have players like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. You know what you’ll be getting from them. However, as for Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman — they’re the wild cards.
If the Warriors max out the potential that is on their roster, they will be great. Analysts cannot predict the unknown, and Golden State, for the first time in a few seasons, has several chips that many do not know how they will fit.
This team has potential, and now they have an underdog mentality to work with. They’ll be great, and hopefully, they can end up as a top-five team in the NBA even without the wonder of two-way star Klay Thompson.