The Warriors are feeling confident heading into the new 2023-24 NBA season.
They were last season, too, as the league's defending champions. But there are different vibes in the locker room this year, and many within Chase Center have taken notice.
"Sources within the organization told ESPN this is the most coherent the team has been in a while, both on and off the court," ESPN's Kendra Andrews recently reported.
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Golden State stumbled out of the gate last season in its quest to defend its 2022 championship. Draymond Green punched teammate Jordan Poole at practice last October, and the team's chemistry never fully recovered. Poole struggled with turnovers and consistency and was traded in June as part of the Warriors' move to acquire Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards.
The vibes are different this time around. Despite being the Warriors' archrival for years, Paul has fit seamlessly into the team's plans to chase another championship. His basketball obsession also aligns with Steph Curry's, well, competitive sickness.
“We were laughing because on the plane on the way from LA to Sacramento we were at the card table, just small talking and we both knew the slate of preseason games that were playing that night and were looking forward to tuning in,” Curry said of Paul earlier this month. “We both laughed, like I don't know how many people on this plane actually know which four teams are playing in the preseason that night.
“So it's just basketball junkies that want to talk about it, live it and that feeds into everything."
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Preseason stats don't matter, but the on-court product adding Paul to the mix looked like a positive addition to coach Steve Kerr's rotation over the Warriors' five-game exhibition slate.
It's worth noting the off-court vibes reportedly are similar to what Dub Nation is witnessing on the court, too.