The Golden State Warriors have been out of the playoff picture ever since 2019. Despite winning three championships in a span of five years, the Warriors dynasty collapsed after the Raptors eliminated them in the Finals.

The team eventually loss Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets. Although Stephen Curry has shown that he can still be a MVP caliber player, the Warriors have been in a disarray. They didn’t make an appearance in the NBA Bubble after posting a dismal 15-50 record, which was dead-last in the league. Afterthat year, they failed to make the postseason again after falling short against the Lakers and the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.

Fortunately, things could finally go in the right direction for the Warriors next season. For this piece, let’s take a look at five reasons Warriors will regain their championship glory.

Warriors Championship Run Reasons

The Return of Klay Thompson

A big reason for the Warriors’ struggles in the recent years is the absence of elite sniper Klay Thompson. The two-time NBA champion has been absent for the Warriors since he suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals. After missing out the entire 2019-2020 season, Thompson would suffer another dreadful injury in the form of a torn achilles during a workout.

Fortunately, Thompson has showed positive signs of recovery. He has recently been spotted participating in the Warriors’ workouts.

With Thompson’s anticipated return, the Warriors will finally have another scoring option outside of Stephen Curry. This will allow us to also see a  reunion of the Splash Brothers. As we’ve seen in the past decade, the duo of Curry and Thompson are capable of getting hot at anytime of the game. Their deadeye shooting has tormented the entire league which is a proven formula to winning championships.

While Curry has done a lot of heavy-lifting thus far, Thompson will finally be able to reduce his scoring load. As we all know, Thompson is no stranger to dropping big points.

Although this performance was pre-injury, Thompson is going into the season with a positive mindset. And should he display his old form, Thompson will be key to power the Warriors back into the championship fold.

More Veteran Presence

In the recent years, the Warriors have paraded a very young roster. With exception to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the team composed of players who were 25 years or younger. Although there were glimpses of potential, there weren’t enough veterans to steady the ship once things got out of control. This led to blow-outs and Curry’s wear-and-tear.

However, the Warriors recently underwent a busy off-season. The team added some veterans to fortify their roster. For starters, the Warriors got a bevy of shooters with experience under their belt.

These include Nemanja Bjelica, who is a stretch big man that shot 38.7% from deep throughout his six-year career. Aside from Bjelica, the team also picked up Otto Porter, who is a career 40.2% shooter from rainbow country. And to fill their last roster spot, the team also picked up NBA champion Avery Bradley. Bradley is a solid two-way player that shot 42.1% from deep in his recent stint with Miami.

But in the off-season, the biggest pickup for the Warriors is Andre Iguodala. The return of their 2015 Finals MVP will be a big boost for the Warriors’ championship hopes. His elite defense and veteran leadership will be impactful on-and-off the court.

This allows the team to have another solid wing defender outside of Draymond Green to throw at the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, or Kevin Durant. Furthermore, his guidance will be tremendous to the growth of the Warriors’ younger players.

Fresh Faces With Potential

Last year’s draft the Warriors drafted James Wiseman with their top pick. And in this year’s draft, they drafted forward Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Wiseman showed flashes in his rookie season. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His most notable game came against the Timberwolves, where he tallied 25 points and six boards off-the-bench.

On the other hand, Kuminga and Moody gave good account of themselves during the Summer League. Kuminga averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 boards per game. On the other hand, Moody averaged 16.2 points per game.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if these prospects make an impact next year. In the 2021 Playoffs, we saw Suns’ project DeAndre Ayton finally made his breakout and established himself as one of the best big men today. If Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody immediately make an impact, the Warriors will be a difficult team to stop.

On the flip side, given these young players’ potential, the Warriors also have an option to use them as trading chips for a third star. Although the Warriors have declared that they want to keep Kuminga and Wiseman, the future could still hold some surprises.

The Warriors were in the mix of trading talks involving stars such as Damien Lillard, Pascal Siakam and Ben Simmons. And so far, it hasn’t been progressive for the Warriors squad. However with the main core of Curry, Thompson, and Green not getting any younger, the team does have the flexibility to turn this team into a “win-now” squad by trading away its young pieces for an established All-Star.

Either way, the squad is in a better position to end its championship drought with its prospects or with a third star. Ultimately, having these prospects allows them the flexibility to piece together a championship squad.

Emergence of Impact Players

Amidst the Warriors’ struggle to make the postseason again, one of its bright spots aside from Stephen Curry is the improvement of Andrew Wiggins in terms of efficiency. Last year, Wiggins averaged 18.6 points per game, while shooting 47.7% overall and 38% from rainbow country which are both career-highs.

Fortunately, Wiggins also finally agreed to get vaccinated after expressing hesitancy. With city-imposed vaccinations affecting New York and San Fransisco, NBA players are required to be vaccinated before playing for games held in these cities.

With Wiggins getting the shot, the Warriors are sure they won’t miss the services of the Canadian forward for the season. His steady improvement will be key for the Warriors, as he is the team’s secondary scorer before Klay Thompson’s pending return.

Aside from Wiggins, the Warriors are also seeing the potential of Jordan Poole. Poole is currently the fourth leading scorer of the league in the ongoing pre-season. He is averaging a 23.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game.

These impact players certainly add more depth to the Warriors’ squad. As Wiggins and Poole get more comfortable with Kerr’s system, it’ll be difficult to stop this team who’ll be parading multiple scoring options.

Another MVP-worthy Year by Stephen Curry

Despite not making the postseason, Stephen Curry proved that he is still one of the best. The Warriors star registered one of his best seasons last year. He averaged a career-high 32.0 points per game to bring home his second scoring title. Curry also led the league in terms of three-point makes and attempts for the regular season, while making 42% of his shots from that region.

Aside from leading the league, Curry was also one of the favorites to win the MVP. He finished Top Five in the MVP Ladder. Unfortunately not making the postseason, dampened Curry’s hopes of taking home his third MVP.

For as long as Curry’s healthy, the Warriors will always be a contender. And with Curry dropping MVP-like numbers in the recent years, it’s hard to see him slow down anytime soon. Nevertheless, if there’s any player that can bring the Warriors to another championship, it’d be Steph Curry.