For the past two seasons, the Western Conference has been dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, featuring a young, dynamic powerhouse built around the MVP-level brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić. Yet, while OKC looks every bit the favorite to defend its crown after a perfect 6-0 start, an old contender has quietly resurfaced with a renewed identity. The Golden State Warriors, once known for their dazzling offense, are now suffocating teams with the best defense in basketball.

This new version of Golden State, constructed around discipline, depth, and defensive intensity, looks unlike anything Steve Kerr has coached before. After a convincing 98-79 win over the Los Angeles Clippers and a 4-1 start to the 2025-26 season, the Warriors have established themselves not just as a playoff lock but as the most serious challenger to the Thunder’s throne.

Inside the Golden State Warriors' defensive renaissance

It almost feels ironic to call the Golden State Warriors a defensive team. For nearly a decade, they’ve been the NBA’s gold standard for offensive brilliance, Steph Curry’s shooting, Draymond Green’s orchestration, and a style that redefined modern basketball. But as the core ages and the league adapts, Golden State has evolved. They’re no longer trying to outrun everyone; they’re trying to outlast everyone.

The transformation began late last season after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. While the move drew mixed reactions at the time, it completely recalibrated the Warriors’ identity. From that moment forward, Golden State finished the final 28 games of the 2024-25 regular season ranked first in defensive rating, a trend that has carried into the new campaign.

Butler’s presence has been the steadying influence Kerr’s rotation needed. He brings grit, accountability, and the kind of defensive IQ that elevates everyone around him.

But it’s not just Butler. Jonathan Kuminga’s athleticism and length have made him one of the league’s most disruptive forwards. Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have embraced their roles as energy defenders who switch seamlessly across positions. Together, this collective commitment to defense gives Golden State something it lacked last year, a reliable identity when shots aren’t falling.

And when they are falling? This team becomes nearly impossible to beat.

The return of the Warriors' depth and discipline

Depth is the lifeblood of the Warriors’ resurgence. During their championship years, Golden State thrived not just on star power but on system continuity, a bench that could defend, pass, and keep the rhythm alive when Curry and Green sat. That rhythm vanished last year amid injuries and inconsistency, but the 2025-26 roster feels balanced again.

The rotation is deep with versatile defenders and ball movers. Podziemski’s confidence and court vision make him a connector in lineups with Curry. Kuminga’s evolution from raw athlete to two-way force has been one of the biggest stories of the Warriors’ early season. Moses Moody’s emergence as a reliable wing has filled the hole left by Klay Thompson.

Then there’s Draymond Green, the heartbeat of this new era. Still barking, orchestrating, teaching. His partnership with Butler has created one of the most terrifying defensive pairings in the league, two veterans who anticipate plays two passes ahead and know how to weaponize chaos.

Even in the few losses Golden State has suffered, such as their high-scoring road defeats in Milwaukee and Portland, there’s been no sense of panic. Kerr’s system is built on trust, and this team has reestablished it. The Warriors aren’t trying to rediscover the magic of 2016; they’re building something new.

Why the Thunder should be worried

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The Thunder, of course, remain the measuring stick. At 6-0, they’ve been as dominant as ever, powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 34.2 points per game and an improving supporting cast. Jalen Williams’ absence hasn’t slowed them, and rookie guard Ajay Mitchell’s emergence as a reliable scorer and secondary playmaker has made the defending champions even more balanced.

But here’s why the Warriors are uniquely built to challenge them: experience, composure, and defense.

Oklahoma City’s speed and youth overwhelm most teams, but Golden State is one of the few that won’t be flustered. The Warriors’ switching defense can neutralize OKC’s spacing and force them into uncomfortable midrange looks. Butler and Green give Kerr a pair of veterans who can physically and mentally disrupt Gilgeous-Alexander, while Kuminga’s length is perfectly suited to chase wings like Williams or Chet Holmgren around screens.

Moreover, the Thunder have never faced a team that mirrors their own unselfishness so closely. Golden State’s ball movement, when sharp, still ranks among the league’s most beautiful. Curry’s gravity creates the same type of defensive collapse that Gilgeous-Alexander induces with his drives, and that constant motion can wear out even elite defenses.

There’s also an emotional factor. The Warriors have something to prove. The dynasty label doesn’t hold weight forever, and after two disappointing playoff exits, this group seems intent on showing they can evolve rather than fade. Kerr’s adaptation to a defense-first system mirrors what Gregg Popovich once did in San Antonio: turning a team defined by one era into something sustainable for another.

The Thunder, for all their brilliance, haven’t been tested by this kind of maturity yet. When the postseason comes, and every possession becomes a chess match, experience can close the gap between talent and youth.

Golden State isn’t just gunning for the Thunder; they’re positioning themselves to expose any team that underestimates their defensive revival.

Can the Warriors do it?

The Western Conference is still Oklahoma City’s to lose, but the road to another Finals won’t be a clean sweep. The Warriors, battle-tested and defensively elite, have reclaimed their identity at the perfect time. They may no longer be the flashiest team in basketball, but they’re once again the smartest and perhaps the most dangerous.

Golden State’s not chasing nostalgia. They’re chasing another banner.