The Warriors’ 12-1 record with Jimmy Butler in the lineup leaves many to believe Golden State is back – or at least on the right track – to being a contender. Having ascended to the Western Conference’s sixth seed after what initially was a subpar season, the Warriors have deserved the mainstream love they’ve recently received.
But with Golden State seemingly re-entering serious title talk comes worrisome aspects that potentially can spoil the Warriors’ current playoff push during or after the final 17 games of the 2024-25 NBA season. Veteran guard Gary Payton II, who posted a career-high 26 points on Monday in Golden State’s 130-120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, detailed to 95.7 The Game’s Matt Steinmetz and Daryle Johnson what will make or break the Warriors’ championship hopes this season.
“Turnovers would definitely get us beat,” Payton said Wednesday. “Turnovers would get us beat, and not playing the right way; 1-on-1 ball isn’t really our style of play.
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“Just continue to play the right way and within each other and trust each other on the defensive end, get stops and take care of the ball on the defensive end.”
Golden State averages the 12th-fewest turnovers per game with 13.9. While not an overly concerning ranking, the Warriors, as Payton said, surely would want to average fewer and fewer as the season’s stage becomes brighter and brighter.
Conversely, Payton believes Golden State should continue leaning on itself to generate the best on-court results. That’s not a bad idea, given what the Warriors have accomplished over the past month -- and the fact they should have key swingman Jonathan Kuminga back in the fold for Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
“So like coach [Steve Kerr] said, we got guys who can attract two [defenders], so it makes it easier for everybody – swing, swing and attack the closeouts and make plays," Payton said. "We have a lot of playmakers. … when JK gets back, it’s going to get scary; you have Jimmy down there [in the post], you want to double Jimmy, go ahead, JK’s coming down full force; if [Kuminga’s] not, you can swing it to Buddy [Hield] or go to Draymond [Green] and he can go with Steph [Curry].
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“It’s just a lot of options we can get out of that.”
The Warriors are in a good position. They’re on pace to avoid the NBA play-in tournament and should enter the playoffs with a roster riddled with NBA Finals experience and chips on their shoulders.
But as Payton said, Golden State must watch its turnovers while remaining trusting in one another to be its best self.