Ranking Golden State Warriors from the 2022-23 season – Stephen Curry
With the 2022-23 season having come to an end, we look back and review every player that took to the floor for the Golden State Warriors. Players are ranked on performance, with some of that based on preseason expectations.
Coming off the apex of his career in the 2022 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry continued his MVP-level of play in another blistering season for the Golden State Warriors’ greatest ever player.
The 2022-23 season wasn’t without interruption for the two-time MVP, but when on the floor there was no slowing down despite turning 35 in March. In what was ultimately a disappointing season for the franchise, Curry continued to provide constant excitement for Warrior fans.
Despite and injury-plagued season, Stephen Curry maintained his presence as one of the NBA’s best players and a championship centerpiece to the Golden State Warriors.
Curry began where he left off in the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, recording 33 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a 14-point win. It would be the first of six 30-point games over the Warriors’ first seven matchups, and he followed that up shortly after with three-straight games of at least 39 points, including 47 in a three-point home win over the Sacramento Kings.
The reality was that Curry was simply trying his best to mask a Warrior team that was flat out terrible in the minutes he was off the floor. Golden State’s superstar recorded a positive plus-minus in 14 of his first 19 games, yet the team had just an 11-10 record after 21 games (Curry had missed two).
In Mid-December, during another masterclass in which he had 38 points in less than 30 minutes, Curry injured his left shoulder and subsequently missed the next 11 games. He made a slow start upon return before exploding with 41 points in a road win against the Washington Wizards.
That began an eight-game span with at least 26 points, but Curry was grounded again when he injured his left leg during a collision with Dallas’ McKinley Wright IV on February 4. That culminated in another 11-game absence, though in his second game back Curry had 10 threes and 40 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Curry was a one-man band in a season-high 50-point exhibition against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 15, a game in which the Warriors lost by eight. He would have five more 30-point performances over the last 12 games, leading Golden State into securing the sixth-seed in the Western Conference.
Curry averaged 29.4 points, a career-high 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, shooting 42.7% from three-point range — his highest percentage since the 2018-19 season. Still, his most memorable moment of the season came in the first-round of the playoffs, with his 50 points in Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings making headlines around the world. As many of his teammates’ form deteriorated during the postseason, Curry would step up and average over 30 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
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Golden State ultimately didn’t have the roster to repeat as NBA champions, leaving many fans to lament a wasted year of Curry’s prime. Given the front office’s offseason moves thus far, it seems clear that the franchise is looking to atone for that and give their best ever player a chance of adding a fifth title.