For the first time in a long time, the Golden State Warriors have more question marks than answers heading into the 2019-20 NBA season. And for the first time in a long time, the fate of the Warriors is completely unknown.

No longer is the expectation “championship or bust.” No longer are we expecting Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant to ruin the league. Now in the post-dynasty era, the Warriors are searching for answers and their new identity.

As we're just under two months away from the start of a brand new age in Warriors basketball, let's break down five bold, strongly optimistic predictions for this team – predictions that have some basis in the realm of possibility, and predictions that indicate where the team's ceiling is at.

5. The defense will be decent

With the departures of Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, mixed with Klay Thompson's injury keeping him out until late in the season, the Warriors' defense will take a huge hit. They no longer boast the length and athleticism that has disrupted so many elite offenses over the years.

But while many think their defense will be nonexistent, they have the pieces to have a halfway-decent defense to keep them in games for their prolific offense to win.

Their lone defensive star, Draymond Green, will be patrolling the middle and communicating everyone's roles. It's always a good sign to have a former Defensive Player of the Year as the anchor of your defense. Around him, though, are an assortment of guards and wings that typically aren't known to put defense first. Both Steph Curry and newly-acquired D'Angelo Russell don't have high-level defensive prowess, although quick hands in passing lanes will make them serviceable at times on the that end.

Alfonzo McKinnie and Glenn Robinson III are nowhere close to lock-down defenders. But Robinson has shown flashes of solid defense in his career. At 6'6″ with a 6'9″ wingspan, he has the length to be a good wing defender. And his win at the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest proves he has the athletic abilities to go along for the ride. The hope is that, put in the Warriors' system with Draymond in command, Robinson will grow as a perimeter defender.

Willie Cauley-Stein, their new big man from the Sacramento Kings, has the size to be a shot blocker, but hasn't really shown that ability in his career so far. Don't be surprised, though, if this is the year he makes that leap. With Draymond in his ear throughout the season and with Ron Adams working his magic, Cauley-Stein has the potential to become a shot-blocking center. And while fellow big man Kevon Looney won't be playing above the rim, he has quick enough feet to stay with guards, and a high basketball IQ.

The Warriors' defense won't be amazing this year. Far from it. It'll pale in comparison to their elite defense of past years. But it has the potential, if all goes right, to be decent enough to keep them in games until their offense takes over.

4. D'Angelo Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein become one of the best pick-and-roll duos in the NBA

In the last few years, the Warriors are well-known to have used the least number of pick-and-rolls in the NBA. The NBA is a pick-and-roll league, and almost every team uses the play in various forms. But Steve Kerr has largely stayed away from it despite Steph Curry and Draymond Green running a deadly version of the play. Kerr, instead, chose only to unleash the Curry-Draymond pick-and-roll selectively, such as in the fourth quarter of a playoff game.

This time around, though, the Warriors will have to rely on the league's most popular play. On the Brooklyn Nets, D'Angelo Russell was the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations in 11.4 possessions a game last year, second in the NBA only to Kemba Walker. And he averaged 10.1 points per game out of the pick-and-roll, just under half of his 21.1 points-per-game average. Russell is a smart playmaker out of the pick-and-roll, and with no Durant and Klay Thompson, Kerr will have to use it early and often to open up space for his elite guards.

Willie Cauley-Stein was targeted by the Warriors, reportedly, because of his pick-and-roll ability. Cauley-Stein was a powerful rim runner and finisher for the Kings, and has the potential to wreak havoc as a roll man playing alongside playmaking guards like Russell and Curry.

A big question mark for the Warriors is where the scoring comes from when Curry sits. Will D-Lo step up? Will the Warriors have any other scoring options? This is where the pick-and-roll with Cauley-Stein and Russell will be critical. They'll have ample opportunity to grow together as a unit when Steph is on the bench throughout the season, and if they became a deadly pick-and-roll combination like the Warriors hope, the offense will be in good shape.

Steph and Draymond will always be threats, but new acquisitions D'Angelo Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein have the potential to be pick-and-roll monsters this year.

3. Steph Curry wins MVP

This prediction is a very realistic one, as ESPN experts recently predicted Curry to finish second in the MVP race this season. With Durant gone, Curry is the alpha dog once again. The last time Curry was the main engine of the offense, he averaged 30.1 points per game in the 2015-16 season en route to his second MVP award.

This time, Curry's supporting cast isn't as strong, leading many to believe that Curry will have to eclipse that 30-points-per-game average for the Warriors to be competitive. It's a realistic belief, and Curry is well capable of doing so. If he does, he'll be prominently in the MVP running.

The second piece of the puzzle, for the MVP race, is the overall record of the team. High-volume scoring from Curry won't earn him the award if the Warriors are left sitting at home in April and June. The Warriors will have to, at the very least, make the playoffs for Curry to be considered, and, barring injuries, that's a legitimate possibility.

The door is wide open for Curry to win his third MVP this year. The keys to the Warriors' offense are once again completely his, and while he'll be focused on getting the Warriors to the playoffs, he may very well gather some individual accolades along the way.

2. Klay Thompson has a hero's return right in time for the playoffs

As of now, Klay Thompson doesn't expect to be back before the All-Star break in mid-February. He tore his ACL in Game Six of the NBA Finals, and, optimistically, he'll return in late February or sometime in March. Thompson is an integral piece to the Warriors, and will be needed to provide shooting on the perimeter, spacing for the offense, and lock-down defense.

As the roster stands now, the three-point shooting will come from Curry and Russell, but the team will be far from the three-point juggernaut they've been in past years. The arrival of Thompson late in the season will help with spacing, open up more room for Curry and Russell to operate, and can take the scoring load off of the two point guards.

Thompson's defense will also be missed sorely, as he's one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. With Thompson, the Warriors can hide Curry or Russell on the less-threatening opponent guard.

If he returns around early March, he'll have about a month before the playoffs. And the Warriors will really need the boost. If all goes as planned, they'll be fighting for a playoff spot late in the season, and the arrival of Thompson will bolster not only the team's shooting, but their morale as well.

It's not far-fetched for Thompson to return late in the year, have a heroic return, and spark a winning streak that propels the Warriors into the playoffs. And if he's healthy and can get back up to game speed quickly, then this final bold prediction has a higher possibility of coming true.

1. Warriors win the championship

No one expects this version of the Warriors to be true contenders. With numerous All-Stars moving teams and the balance of the league supposedly restored, teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets are expected to vie for the title, among others.

But the ceiling for the Warriors has to be a championship. Injuries are part of the game, and if injuries derail one or two of the top contenders, like the Warriors just experienced last year, this new version of the Dubs will be primed to step in.

Now with Thompson, the Warriors would boast three elite guards in the playoffs that are all offensive machines. Thompson would likely be playing small forward throughout the postseason, with Curry and Russell in the backcourt. Those guards, along with Draymond and young players that have ideally stepped up in some way, shape or form by this point, is a team no one will want to face.

It is not out of the realm of possibility for the Warriors to, with Klay Thompson back and fully healthy, make the playoffs, upset a higher seed, and march their way back to the Finals. The likelihood of this rests on how the young players develop, how D'Angelo Russell fits into the offense, and how healthy Klay Thompson is on his return.

But for a core that has experienced championship-level basketball, you can never count them out. The most optimistic and borderline-realistic ceiling for the team has to be a title. Whether they even come close to that ceiling remains to be seen.

Regardless, the Warriors are set up, for the first time in a long while, for a more relaxed season of growth, development, and offensive fireworks. The pressure is off. The critics have left. The dynasty is over.

But never count them out.