Despite all the troubling woes that've followed the Golden State Warriors, the majority of the NBA world was readily awaiting the return of the dynasty that was built in the Bay Area. With so many injuries, the Warriors were quickly shunned out of the Western Conference picture last season.
Even with all the disturbance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Golden State is more than ready to return to prominence in the 2020-21 season. General manager Bob Myers is one of the few executives that's prepared to spend the necessary money to allow fans back into the arenas via COVID-19 testing, and he made sure the front office's checkbook spilled over into free agency as well as they spent well into the luxury tax.
Unfortunately, the Warriors took another injury blow to All-Star talent Klay Thompson just as training camp was about to get underway. The guard tore his right Achilles, seeing him out for the season.
The Warriors still have a chance at making some headlines this season despite the hurdles in front of them however. Here are four predictions of what could transpire in the upcoming season.
4. Wiseman proves himself, averages 15 PPG and 12 RPG
There were so many alternate routes that could've been taken with the Warriors No. 2 pick in the draft. They reportedly sought out to trade the lottery pick but didn't find the deal they found good enough. The front office already made it known that they needed a legit center in order to compete in the West, though many assumed it would come in the free agency market.
Instead, a squad that's won three championships in the last five years will be relying heavily on a 19-year old that only registered three games during his lone year with the Memphis Tigers.
Though an extremely small sample size, he averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and three blocks per game. While it'd be immature to grade his entire college career through only three contests, his level of play was remarkable coming out of high school, which could suggest that Wiseman was well on his way to having a phenomenal year.
Wiseman will look to do the same for the Warriors this season. With so much responsibility awaiting him, allowing the rookie to average 15 points and 12 rebounds per game.
3. Wiggins pays off, brings in noteworthy season
It was a head-scratcher for most fans when the Warriors decided to trade D'Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins in February. Of course there was a logjam to consider at that point with Thompson returning from his then-ACL injury, which now could've led the Warriors to lean a different way with dealing Russell. Hindsight!
Wiggins' stats don't tell the entire story of his career. At 25, his numbers actually are close to being on par with those expected from a former No. 1 pick. Where Wiggins has lacked–and probably led to the Minnesota Timberwolves' deciding to trade him–is his unimpressive work ethic.
Whether or not Wiggins has been reluctant to work on his game is unknown to the general public, but it hasn't translated on the court.
Being in Minnesota, there was only one player that held Wiggins accountable: Jimmy Butler. Wiggins was only able to get in a hand full of games last season. Now, he'll get a full run with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, two championship-caliber players that'll demand the best from the forward and won't take his lackluster efforts without sounding off.
With that in mind, Wiggins will have one of his better seasons yet, playing himself into All-NBA-like conversations.
2. Curry returns to All-Star form
There's no doubt that Curry will be out to prove himself this year. Sitting out for even one season in the NBA allows other players to quickly shoot up the rankings, leaving legends such as Curry briefly out of the conversation. Still, no one would ever doubt the former MVP's ability to reinvent himself.
Curry is coming into his 12th season in the league at the age of 32. It's a given that his athletic abilities will begin to reasonably decline in due time. That won't be the case this upcoming season however.
Curry's skillset is one that allows him to transition through eras and still play the game at a high level. While some of the faces aren't the same, he'll still be sharing the floor with his pick-and-roll partner in Green.
Arguably the greatest shooter of this era, Curry lives from beyond the arc with a revolutionary style that was spearheaded by both he and Thompson. His ability to lose defenders off screens and create shots off virtually little-to-no airspace will be apparent once more.
Curry will return to his normal MVP form as the new season gets underway.
1. Warriors still make playoffs
After the news surfaced of Thompson tearing his Achilles, there was a wide assumption that the Warriors season was already over before it had begun. If the Warriors were to attempt at making a deep playoff run while going against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, they'd need all their fire power which included Thompson.
While no one will argue that Golden State doesn't have their work cut out, it'd be premature to completely remove the Warriors from the picture. Wiggins still remains a complete X-factor coming into the season. His meshing with Curry could be the telling story of how far they can advance.
Even so, having just Curry back puts the Warriors back into the playoff picture. There are certainly a lot of new contenders in the West, but the Warriors still deserve just as much consideration as the rest.
A healthy Curry with Green and Wiggins clicking on all cylinders easily pushes them pass the lower tiers of the conference, affording them the opportunity of grabbing at least the sixth seed.
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