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The Golden State Warriors are looked at as a team that could return to the playoffs in the upcoming season, but Draymond Green has loftier expectations. Despite the injuries and other concerns the Warriors have endured, Green still views the Warriors as title contenders, per ESPN's Nick Friedell.
Draymond sounded as confident as ever when asked about how he will define Warriors success this season: "When I don't win a title, that's unsuccessful. There's no moral victories. There's no, "Oh, this is our first year together …"Klay is [out]." I don't really roll like that"
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) December 14, 2020
Ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft, Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles, causing him to miss his second consecutive season for the Warriors. Thompson's injury has put a damper on Golden State's expectations among fans and the media alike.
However, while Thompson will be sorely missed on both ends of the floor, the Warriors are getting a healthy version of Stephen Curry back. Not to mention, Golden State also has Green, Andrew Wiggins, rookie James Wiseman, and Kelly Oubre Jr. heading into the season.
A season ago, besides losing Kevin Durant to free agency, the Warriors were without Curry for most of the year, and Green also dealt with injuries. Plus, Thompson was sidelined with a torn ACL that he sustained during the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Similar to most seasons, the Western Conference is going to be loaded with title-contending teams. Given that, it is tough to gauge whether or not the Warriors are going to be one of the higher-seeded teams in the conference.
Some teams around the NBA are under the assumption that if they don't secure the Larry O'Brien Trophy then the season was a disappointment. With that being said, Green sees the Warriors as one of the teams that should be competing for a chance to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors face a very difficult climb in the Western Conference this season without Thompson, one of the Splash Brothers, but if they have one advantage, it is the nine months of rest since the end of their season in March. The Warriors had played over 500 games (regular season and postseason) in their five NBA Finals runs. All their key players finally received extended rest.
