At the beginning of this season, the Warriors once posted a surprising and pleasant record of 12 wins and 3 losses. When fans were looking forward to whether Stephen Curry would have the opportunity to lead the team back to the top again later in his career, what happened next? Lost 17 of 25 games, currently 20 wins and 20 losses, with a winning rate of just 50%.
The Warriors’ winning rate in a single month in December last year was only 30%, and their overall scoring capacity was insufficient. They averaged only 104.7 points per game, which is the league’s top level, and their points gain and loss control was -7 points, ranking in the bottom five. In addition, 2 wins and 4 losses in back-to-back games this season is not ideal. The Warriors team’s shooting percentage is poor, averaging only 98.7 points per game and falling below the 100 mark. This performance is quite different from the fast-playing run-and-gun team in the past.
Recently, the Warriors have been constantly involved in trade rumors. It is always a dilemma whether the front office should take a big gamble for the final peak of Curry’s career and trade the future for the current championship opportunity. However, Curry has publicly spoken out on this more than once. Although he wants to see the team make changes, he is never happy to see the team exhaust resources and sacrifice the future just for short-term results. This is only consuming the future value of the team.
Indeed, Curry’s speech was grand enough. As a leader, he did not put pressure on the team just to win the championship, but really thought about the long-term development of the team. And what he said is correct. The Warriors are not like the Thunder, which has a lot of draft picks and does not have the capital to make many transactions; the second-generation Warriors young players left after their heyday have not developed as expected and their market value is limited. Therefore, if the Warriors want to land a big fish like Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline, the team’s lineup depth, future draft selection, and salary maneuverability will inevitably be affected.
No wonder that rather than making immediate reinforcements, Curry now wants to use his own strength to lead his young teammates forward. Even though the Warriors are currently ranked 10th in the Western Conference and struggling on the edge of the play-offs, Curry firmly believes that mental armament can help the ball. To adjust the team, everyone must unite and maintain confidence, have full desire to win, and strengthen self-ability and team discipline. This is a higher priority than risky blockbuster transactions.
As the immovable core of the Warriors dynasty, it is still not difficult for the 36-year-old Curry to score more than 30 points in a single game. Although his average per game this season is a new low in five years, he still has 22.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5 rebounds. It’s just that the scoring efficiency is indeed not as good as before. If he is willing to start from the bench at the end of his career, I believe he can play for several more years, but the premise is that the team’s young players can maintain competitiveness for a long time. Curry and Draymond Green both agree that they are happy to see the team strengthen but don’t pursue it blindly, because they don’t want the Warriors to become a bad team when they retire in the future.
In fact, the Warriors have missed the best opportunity to increase the team’s future talent ceiling by holding high lottery picks in previous years. How can they expect to trade for more assets in future draft picks without risking more assets? What about higher added value?
