As the Golden State Warriors enter their defined two-year championship window with their veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, the pressure is on more than ever for the team to compete in a loaded Western Conference.
Yet, in order to reach their lofty goal, the team must stay focused on the task at hand as the season wears on: securing a comfortable playoff seeding.
While, with the regular season success the team found last season after their acquisition of Butler, it could be tempting to have lofty expectations of a first or second seed for Golden State, they must simply avoid the play-in in order to have a genuine shot at another title.
Warriors' most realistic outcome next season could also be their most ideal
Last season, after sitting on the fringe of the play-in for much of the season, the Warriors surged upon their trade for Butler, going 23-8 to end the season and cobbling together one of the best performances in the league on both sides of the ball. Yet, despite their efforts, they still were relegated to a play-in spot with a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their final game of the season.
While they ultimately secured a spot in the playoffs, the sheer effort required for their late-season push and their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets left the team exhausted. By the time Curry went down with a strained hamstring, the writing was already on the wall. Golden State's season was over.
Now, as they face down a similar gauntlet this season, the Warriors must not only come out of the gate strong but remain healthy and humming on offense for almost the entirety of the season. With four presumed starters over the age of 35, the team has very little room for error regarding the cumulative health of their roster.
Frankly, earning a top two or three seed in the Western Conference, which features juggernauts such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, will be an incredibly tall task: one that will require little to no rest for the team's veterans.
Instead, Golden State must aim to be comfortably in position to secure the fourth, fifth, or sixth seed heading into the final month of the season, allowing them to perhaps provide their veterans with rest prior to the playoffs.
If they were able to do so, and take a healthy core into the postseason, they would set themselves up well to make a deep playoff run. Therefore, perhaps their best shot at a championship next season starts with moderate expectations for the regular season.