The Warriors, as the plethora of primetime games on their 2024-25 NBA season schedule shows, still are one of the most watchable teams in the league.
But will Golden State’s viewership translate to victories?
ESPN released a column predicting superlatives from the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season, and it is safe to say the Warriors have optimism in their corner. Here is how the network, as voted on by its experts, sees Golden State’s season potentially going:
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Team Turnaround: Which teams will make a major leap?
1. Memphis Grizzlies: 63 points (42% of first-place votes)
2. San Antonio Spurs: 48 points
3. Golden State Warriors: 18 points
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4. Phoenix Suns: 14 points
T-5. Milwaukee Bucks: 9 points
T-5. Philadelphia 76ers: 9 points
T-7. Houston Rockets: 6 points
T-7. Orlando Magic: 6 points
T-7. Sacramento Kings: 6 points
10. Brooklyn Nets: 5 points
T-11. Charlotte Hornets: 1 point
T-11. Miami Heat: 1 point
T-11. New Orleans Pelicans: 1 point
T-11. Portland Trail Blazers: 1 point
ESPN anticipates the Warriors will be a better product.
Last season, of course, Golden State finished 46-36 and missed the NBA playoffs for the first time with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all healthy.
Curry’s showing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics proved the 36-year-old superstar still is elite. But Golden State’s remaining roster, now down Thompson but up other role players such as Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, must step up.
Team Turmoil: Which team will take a tumble this season?
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 53 points (43% of first-place votes)
2. LA Clippers: 25 points
T-3. Atlanta Hawks: 19 points
T-3. Chicago Bulls: 19 points
T-5. Denver Nuggets: 12 points
T-5. Milwaukee Bucks: 12 points
7. Miami Heat: 10 points
T-8. Golden State Warriors: 7 points
T-8. Phoenix Suns: 7 points
10. Dallas Mavericks: 6 points
11. Brooklyn Nets: 5 points
12. Philadelphia 76ers: 4 points
T-13. Houston Rockets: 3 points
T-13. New York Knicks: 3 points
T-13. Washington Wizards: 3 points
While some ESPN staff expect the Warriors to boom next season, others expect them to bust.
However, when compared to the votes the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers received, the Warriors don’t seem to have as negative of a perception.
Which player will get his first All-Star nod?
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: 101 points (90% of first-place votes)
2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder: 30 points
3. Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks: 20 points
4. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets: 13 points
5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons: 9 points
6. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers: 7 points
7. Buddy Hield. Golden State Warriors: 3 points
T-8. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat: 1 point
T-8. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets: 1 point
Hield has been one of the best sharpshooters throughout his eight-year NBA career.
The Warriors acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, likely as the replacement for Thompson.
Hield averaged 12.1 points per game and 2.8 assists over 25.8 minutes per game in 2023-24. He has shot 40 percent -- on the dot -- for his career on 3-pointers, averaging three a game.
Which star will make the biggest impact on his new team?
1. Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers: 68 points (48% of first-place votes)
2. Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks: 40 points
3. Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder: 31 points
4. DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings: 24 points
5. Chris Paul, San Antonio Spurs: 16 points
6. Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks: 9 points
Thompson finished his 13-year Warriors career with an 0-for-10 shooting nightmare in an NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The four-time NBA champion had a formidable 2023-24 season, averaging 17.9 points per game on 38.7-percent shooting from the perimeter.
Who knows what version of Thompson the Mavericks are getting?
Dallas, defeated in the 2024 NBA Finals by the Boston Celtics, believes it got the perfect third star to add with Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić.
Warriors fans, at least, might feel Thompson is not what he once was; even with insurmountable love for the future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.