The Golden State Warriors are coming into the 2025-26 season with high hopes. I think above all else, the factor that's going to determine if they're truly a threat to win a championship this season is health. With a roster as old as theirs, having everyone healthy for the majority of the year is going to supersede everything else.
Of course, the conversation has to begin with Stephen Curry. The greatest shooter in NBA history has remained largely healthy for the last five seasons after playing just five games during the 2019-20 year. I think one of the most underrated narratives behind Curry's career and his longevity is the strength that he has gained since he was first branded "the baby-faced assassin." That extra weight has allowed him to continue playing at a high level well into his mid thirties.
Warriors fans are holding their breath that Steph's streak of good health can continue once again this season. His skills, overall conditioning, and scoring gravity are still intact, and Golden State's offense is once again going to orbit around his shooting and off-ball movement. Should he be able to stay on the floor, their ceiling is obviously going to rise tremendously.
Health is of the utmost importance for the Warriors
As important as Curry is to the Warriors, Jimmy Butler is going to remain nearly as crucial to their success as well. His arrival to the team this past season brought them a greater layer of defensive toughness and overall steadiness that they sorely needed. The big issue of course being that Butler is also in the second half of his thirties, and the same injury concerns are going to be present with him as well.
This is the enigma of having a roster that leans heavily on several stars that are in the latter years of their career. Yes, you get stability, leadership, poise and championship experience, but you also have to come to grips with the reality that one injury could totally throw your season off course.
And really, this is simply the thing that is harder to predict than anything. If you're on the outside looking in, you might hear certain things about how well conditioned one of these players is headed into the season, but ultimately, you're not going to truly know how likely or unlikely it's going to be for them to incur some sort of season-altering injury.
That's just where the Warriors are as a team right now. They can absolutely be among that top level of championship contenders, but how many injuries they're able to avoid running into is going to play a major part in whether or not that becomes reality.