Stephen Curry gifts Warriors another honor they otherwise don't deserve

Stephen Curry -- and by extension the Golden State Warriors -- are still arguably the biggest drawcard in the league.

That's a prevailing thought from early reports of the NBA's schedule for next season, with ESPN's Shams Charania detailing on Friday that the Warriors will play both on opening night and Christmas Day.

Stephen Curry remains must see on the biggest days of the NBA calendar

While the younger generation are making a name for themselves evidenced by the Oklahoma City Thunder's recent championship triumph, the league is still very much headlined by the two greatest players of the last 10-15 years -- Curry and LeBron James.

Curry and Golden State are set to tip-off their regular season against James and the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21, with a big watch also on strong MVP candidate Luka Doncic who looks in far better physical shape so far this offseason.

The Lakers will also unveil notable offseason additions Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. Add in Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and whatever the Warriors finally do with their roster over the next two months, and you have a mouth-watering matchup between two veteran teams at Crypto.com Arena.

The third most notable player of the last decade, Kevin Durant, is also primed for the opening night slate as he makes his debut for the Houston Rockets on the road against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will be celebrating ring night at Paycom Center.

In addition to their opening night game against the Lakers, the Warriors will again enjoy the benefits of hosting a Christmas Day game, this time against Klay Thompson, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks who will be looking to remain a threat in the West before welcoming back Kyrie Irving from a torn ACL during the second-half of the season.

The Boston Celtics are a notable team who have missed the Christmas Day slate, with the league clearly not placing much value in their hopes after Jayson Tatum’s devastating torn achilles and having traded veteran stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

Curry’s gravity extends well beyond the actual court, having been a must-see phenom that the Warriors -- and the NBA -- have benefited from for over a decade. Having made the second-round twice and missed the playoffs entirely over the last three years, Golden State certainly wouldn’t be in these type of games without their 2x MVP.

Perhaps it’s another argument as to why the Warriors should be doing more to prioritize the remainder of Curry’s prime, with a 22-year-old Jonathan Kuminga currently holding up the franchise’s trade and free agency plans this offseason.