Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are living the dream. They just won the 2021-22 NBA championship and now have the entire offseason to bask in their success.
But best believe Steph Curry and co. already have next season in mind and what it would take to repeat. That's just the way both the franchise and its face operate – always with an eye towards the future.
Months before Golden State's NBA Finals win, Stephen Curry spoke candidly to GQ about his vision for the Warriors. Curry is full cognizant that despite his best efforts to stay in shape, a changing of the guard is bound to happen sometime. He laid down some goals for the franchise's three young centerpieces of the future in Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman, in the same fashion Kobe Bryant challenged young stars on Twitter in years past.
Via GQ's The Second Coming of Stephen Curry by Hanif Abdurraqib:
Curry, for his part, dreams of a future five years from now where Poole is an all-star, Kuminga is an all-defensive player, and Wiseman is an MVP candidate. He and Green will be fulfilled then, he says.
Stephen Curry is defying, nay completely at war with Father Time after a dominant postseason run at age-34. But even he knows that his magic won't last forever. It's his job to make sure Golden State's Harry Potter franchise-level success doesn't flop the same way Fantastic Beasts did with completely new stars and storylines.
Nearly a decade into their dynasty, the gap between the current Warriors core and the new blood gets even more drastic – and it isn't lost on Curry.
“Well, it's also weird because when we won our first championship, in 2015, Jordan Poole was 15 years old,” he says. “Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were like freshmen in high school, and now they're here. It's weird to think they were watching us like we were almost basketball gods.” He laughs, and then offers an accepting shrug. “And now they're here helping us do it again.”
In a few months time “do” turned into “did” for Kuminga and Poole, both playing key roles throughout the Warriors' NBA title run. Jordan Poole resembled Stephen Curry himself when he was firing on all cylinders in his first ever postseason. Kuminga made an impact in a handful of games, flexing his athleticism before taking a backseat in the NBA Finals.
At this point, at least two of Curry's future goals appear to be right on track. Jordan Poole has all the makings of an All-Star, complete with a Steph Curry-esque swagger that will surely net him the fan vote.
Jonathan Kuminga has all the physical tools to be an All-World defender, and a couple of present ones in Warriors veterans Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala in his ear laying down nuggets of wisdom.
The most far-fetched prediction would be for James Wiseman. If he can reach his potential, the talent and physical gifts he has certainly could parlay into an MVP-contending career. Health remains the biggest issue, but all reports indicate that Wiseman is nearly at 100%.
Stephen Curry's master plan continues to stay in motion. Given how well he's been able to manifest all his success, nobody will be surprised if his dream plan turns prophetic in five years.
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