There's renewed optimism surrounding the Golden State Warriors heading into the All-Star break, with the franchise having gone 3-1 since welcoming Jimmy Butler into the fold last week.
A team that was flat-lining and going nowhere all of a sudden has some hope, not just of reaching the playoffs but also making noise given they've just added a noted postseason performer into the mix.
As All-Star weekend at Chase Center takes place, let's just take a moment to assess where the Warriors are at and what they could possibly achieve over the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Western Conference Standings
The Warriors currently hold a 28-27 record with 27 games to play, good for 10th in a tight Western Conference. They're 1.5 games up on the 11th-seed Phoenix Suns and 3.5 games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, but the only way they should be looking is up.
Golden State are equal with the 9th-place Sacramento Kings and will have the chance to surpass their pacific rival when the two teams meet at Golden 1 Center right out of the All-Star break. Their following game is against the 8th-ranked Dallas Mavericks who are 1.5 games ahead, while the Warriors (if good enough) could also have their eyes on the Minnesota Timberwolves (7th: 31-25) and L.A Clippers (6th: 31-23).
Strength of Schedule
Here's the good news for Golden State. According to Tankathon, they have the 22nd-hardest remaining schedule, giving them a real opportunity to create some momentum and actually going on a winning-streak (they haven't won three games in a row since November).
The Suns and Kings who are either side of them in the standings have the hardest and second-hardest remaining schedule, while the Clippers have the fifth-most difficult. Only the Timberwolves (26th) figure to have an easier remaining schedule of teams in the Western Conference.
Injuries
While almost every player in the league is managing some sort of issue through the back portion of the season, Golden State are in a good spot when it comes to their injury-list. Only Jonathan Kuminga is out at the moment, with the talented forward having missed the last 21 games due to a significant ankle injury sustained on January 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors gave an update on Kuminga earlier in the week, stating that he was making good progress and that he is expected to join team practices earlier in the week. There's optimism that the former seventh overall pick won't miss too many more games, though he'll undoubtedly be on a minutes restriction upon return.
Veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been dealing with various injury concerns throughout the season, and will no doubt enjoy some time off to prepare for a period where they won't be afforded nights off.
Roster
The Warriors currently have 12 contracted players on the main roster following the Butler trade. They'll have to balance their place just below the first tax apron, likely by signing two players to 10-day contracts and then signing them (or others) to minimum deals for the rest of the season.
Golden State already seem to have begun that process, with the franchise reportedly set to sign Kevin Knox to a 10-day contract immediately following the All-Star break. A veteran point guard or stretch big remains as potential needs on the Warrior roster, but who they sign is likely to be dependant on how the buyout market materializes in the coming days/weeks.
Outlook
Given the Suns schedule and the Spurs being 3.5 games back, remaining at the 10th-seed should be the absolute worst-case scenario for the Warriors by season's end. Golden State should view themselves as better than Sacramento, while significant injuries in Dallas should help
There's no excuse for this team not reach the top eight in the standings and give themselves two opportunities in the Play-In Tournament. With a proven big-game veteran trio in Curry, Butler and Green, you'd back them in to win one of those and secure a playoff berth -- getting the seven-seed would be beneficial in avoiding the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first-round.
There's an outside chance the Warriors could surge up into the top six seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament entirely, but they'd likely have to win 20-22 of their last 27 games and have a team like the Clippers completely fall apart.