Projected Warriors lineup shows how sad things are for Golden State

At the start of the NBA offseason, some Golden State Warriors fans were dreaming about landing Giannis Antetokounmpo. The team looked like serious players for LeBron James. The Boston Celtics were actively shopping Jaylen Brown. And yet, the roster is almost identical to what it was last season.

Given the fact that the Warriors were the No. 10 seed last season and finished with a 37-45 record, that does not inspire a ton of confidence about what next season will look like. A projected starting lineup really just hammers home what a sad state of affairs it could be for the team next season.

It's tough to get excited about the Warriors entering next season

This projection has a starting five of: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis. 

Let’s start by trying to be optimistic about this starting five. Curry is the greatest shooter of all time and is still elite when he is healthy. Podziemski got a lot of opportunities last year since he had to play with other guys injured and clearly improved. The same can be said for Santos who proved that he is a very useful player and earned an extension. Porzingis gets hurt a lot but played quite well last season when healthy. Green declined a bit but with him and Curry on the floor together, they can be dangerous like they were in the Play-In game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Is there a way to argue that this starting five is decent enough to be roughly .500 for the first half of the season? Yes. It depends a lot on health but with Yaxel Lendeborg in the fold and solid bench options like De’Anthony Melton, they might have just enough depth to be able to play decent basketball.

If they can hang on until Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody return from injury, which is far from a given since they both sustained major injuries, then there’s a way to see them entering the Play-In with a little momentum and winning one or two games to earn a seven-game playoff series.

That’s where the sadness sets in because that feels like the team’s ceiling next year. If a first-round playoff exit is what a team is fighting for, that’s not exactly the easiest group to get excited about.

That doesn’t mean the Warriors won’t be entertaining. Curry showed last year that he can still do really special things on the court, and as long as he’s out there there will be some fun games. 

Still, it just feels like the Warriors are stuck in neutral and there’s not a clear way to step on the accelerator and get moving again. Maybe they’ll surprise us all, but it’s just hard to get really amped about a team that will most likely accomplish so little.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow