Although the Golden State Warriors haven't looked as impressive as they normally do in recent games, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the team coming into the backend of the season now that Draymond Green and James Wiseman are expected to return shortly.
It won't be easy for the Warriors to achieve their goals this season, but if they play the basketball that everyone believes they can, they have a good chance of winning an NBA title.
Obviously, facing the Phoenix Suns and other Western Conference opponents will not be easy for the Warriors. The reality is that there are a few teams that will be able to make it tough on them in the postseason if they do not play their best basketball, but with Green expected to return soon, they should be able to return to the form that we saw at the start of the season. He is the team's glue on both sides of the ball, and he'll continue to make everyone around him better, as he has throughout his career.
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Golden State Warriors: 3 Bold Predictions For Rest Of 2021-22 NBA Season
3. With Draymond Green back, the Warriors immediately improve
Green has always been one of the barometers for the Warriors. Whether he's establishing off-ball screens, passing the ball to other guys for open shots off screens, or guarding the opposing team's top offensive player, he can't be replaced on the Warriors lineup. When he returns, the team must ensure that he is fully healthy, because if he is, Golden State will be a title contender.
When Green returns, Stephen Curry will play the way everyone knows he can. Curry has still outperformed 99% of NBA players this season, but there's no disputing that he was a far superior player when Green was on the court. Curry still looks fantastic, but he's not the same two-time MVP that everyone is used to seeing.
2. Stephen Curry is back to his old self
In the last three months, Curry has clearly not been at his best. He hasn't looked like himself in a while, but he has appeared to be recovering his form over the previous 20 games. He hasn't completely returned to his old form, but he has almost regained his three-point shooting touch. Even when he wasn't playing his best basketball, the Warriors found a way to get the job done and win games.
If his prior 20-ish games are a sign of Curry turning things around, Golden State must be feeling pretty pleased right now. He should be able to reclaim his former form, which will only help the Warriors develop more.
Warriors fans can acknowledge Curry hasn't been playing his best basketball lately. It doesn't diminish what he has accomplished over his career, but he must improve.
He doesn't have Green to help him get open and get around screens, which is one of the reasons he isn't playing as well as he typically does. Golden State will need Curry to reclaim his previous form and continue to be one of the best players in the world if they are to be as good as people expect them to be.
1. Warriors win the NBA championship
Stopping teams in the interior will be the most difficult task for the Warriors in the NBA Playoffs. With Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton in the lineup, they'll have a hard time guarding the pick-and-roll, but if they can go past the Suns, they'll have a strong chance to win the NBA title.
It won't get any easier when they play a team from the Eastern Conference, especially if it's the Milwaukee Bucks or the Philadelphia 76ers, who have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, respectively. They are two of the best interior players in NBA history. Golden State will have to put in a lot of effort against those guys, and the squad will have to employ a variety of defensive strategies in order to get stops.
The Warriors have more than enough potential to win an NBA crown, and they are unquestionably one of the favorites to do so. For them, the answer is that they need to get healthy in order to get things moving and demonstrate to everyone that they are still one of, if not the best, teams in the league.
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