The Warriors hear the chatter. They know those outside the organization have doubts about what the team can accomplish during the 2024-25 NBA season.
And while the Warriors don't like the criticism, they are confident it will give them fuel when the upcoming season tips off in late October.
Second-year NBA guard Brandin Podziemski, charged with helping maintain the last few years of the Warriors' dynasty, spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area's Laura Britt about recent comments in which an anonymous NBA coach likened Golden State to a rock band past its prime.
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"We don't love to hear that, but we love to hear that in the fact that we're going to do something that no one expects us to do," Podziemski told Britt on Friday at Oracle Park after he took batting practice before the Giants game. "They don't think that we're the Warriors that we were before, and for us, I think it's just the best feeling when you don't have anything to lose out there, and you just go out and prove people wrong.
"I think there's a bunch of guys with that mentality that thrive off proving people wrong, and I know Steph [Curry] is one of those guys. So just to be alongside him in the backcourt and in combination with all of our other guys, we're just excited to prove people wrong."
After winning the 2022 NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics, the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs and then were bounced out of the 2024 Western Conference play-in tournament by the Sacramento Kings.
The Warriors finished as the No. 10 seed in the West last season and in the eyes of most analysts, they didn't make noticeable improvements this offseason.
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Franchise icon Klay Thompson departed for the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks after contentious contract negotiations with the Warriors.
Veteran role players Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton were added to the roster, but the Warriors seem to lack a true No. 2 scorer behind Curry. Maybe Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga can pick up the slack, but Golden State won't find out until the season begins.
Podziemski has his own personal motivation, as he was mentioned in trade rumors all summer. But the Warriors were reluctant to part with him, even for proven NBA All-Stars. So the pressure and expectations ratcheted up for the Santa Clara product.
But Podziemski, Curry and the Warriors feed off silencing doubters, and that will be a loud storyline throughout the season.
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