The Golden State Warriors have another mountain (or two) they will have to climb in order to repeat as the defending champs enter the season in second place.
Well, in terms of the yearly survey given to NBA general managers.
An annual survey of NBA GMs has the Golden State Warriors with the second-best odds of winning the championship this season.
Each year, 50 questions are given to GMs across the league. Included in the survey are propositions like, who will win the MVP? Which team made the most improvements in the offseason? And, which rookie will be the best player in five years?
At the top of the list is the ultimate question — who will win the title?
Which team will win the 2023 NBA Finals?
- 1. Milwaukee Bucks – 43%
- 2. Golden State Warriors – 25%
- 3. LA Clippers – 21%
- 4. Boston Celtics – 11%
- » Last year: Brooklyn Nets – 72%
A few things jump out.
Firstly, what a turn of events it was for the Brooklyn Nets last season. Given nearly a three-fourths chance of winning the title before being swept in the first round certainly is something — and it lets us know how much stock to put into these projections.
Nonetheless, Golden State currently stands in second place in a much more balanced result this year.
Ahead of them are the 2021 champions. Milwaukee is built to win another title and had it not been for an injury to Khris Middleton, we may have seen the Bucks and Dubs butt heads last summer.
Speaking of butting heads… this survey was given before Draymond Green and Jordan Poole’s altercation in practice, in which Green forcefully struck Poole.
It’s unclear how, or if, this outburst will impact the Warriors’ title hopes. It likely would have influenced the GM’s answers, though.
Other notable results from the survey feature Stephen Curry being listed as the best point guard and best pure shooter (with Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant behind him).
Most surprising, Andrew Wiggins received a vote for the best defensive player in the NBA. While this might be a little too high of praise, it’s nice to see an otherwise underrated defender get some credit.
All this to say, the Warriors have a number of obstacles in front of them, but that isn’t stopping them from being one of the favorites to win the title.