Many Golden State Warriors fans are down on the team right now. It’s understandable after an offseason in which the team’s general strategy amounted to, “Run It Back plus Brandon Williams” which is almost a worse marketing slogan than, “Come See the Fading Dynasty!”
Realistically, the Warriors on paper as currently constructed are likely to be around the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. If they sneak through the Play-In they'll get a playoff series, but will probably get bounced in the first round by a superior team like the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports has a funny way of surprising people though which is why it isn’t played on paper. Veteran Gary Payton II recently spoke about how the Warriors are flying under the radar going into next season.
“It’s funny. It kind of gives, in a sense, a ‘22 feeling. We’re not expected to do anything, but we still got a pretty good veteran core, and we got some talented young guys," Payton told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Payton is of course referencing the 2021-22 season when not many expected the Warriors to win another title, only for them to shock everyone and cement their dynasty, proving that they could win without Kevin Durant even with an older core group of players.
Going into a season with no expectations, or at least realistic expectations, is not a bad thing. The Warriors went into last season thinking they could be a contender in the Western Conference which may have been too high a goal even if they did show promise the season prior after acquiring Jimmy Butler.
Warriors can follow the model of last season's 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers provided a good example of that in 2025. They went into the year will lower expectations and still made the playoffs, finishing with what many would consider a successful season even though they suffered countless injuries.
That could be a good model for the 2026-27 Warriors. Head coach Steve Kerr has already refused to set expectations for the group which is probably the right strategy. He came back to the Warriors because he wants the team to play a good brand of basketball that can be sustainable. That’s a more attainable goal than trying to chase down the Goliaths in the West.
Maybe it’s that exact mindset which will free the Warriors up and allow them to exceed outside expectations. They still have Stephen Curry in the fold so if he stays healthy and continues to produce, there’s always a chance the Warriors can make a run and surprise everyone when it’s least expected.
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