Five bold Warriors predictions for 2020-21 NBA season
Following an unprecedentedly long layoff, the Warriors finally will be back in action again soon. The Dec. 22 season start date is rapidly approaching, and with the draft and free agency completed, Golden State's roster appears about set. The Warriors were dealt an enormous blow in losing Klay Thompson for the season, but they've done well in the aftermath to pivot and add some talented pieces. The question is, will it be enough?Here are five bold predictions for the Warriors' 2020-21 season.
Since June 13, 2019, Steph Curry has played in a grand total of five NBA games. We'll forgive you if you've forgotten about his greatness, particularly given everything that has been going on in the world since, but it's not going to take him long to remind you. Curry was set up for a tremendous season before Klay Thompson's Achilles injury. Now that his fellow Splash Brother has been lost for the season, it will be even more imperative that Curry returns to his MVP form, and here's betting that he will. All eyes will be on him, and he won't disappoint. Curry will be far and away the best player on a Western Conference contender, and it will culminate with his third MVP award.
If the Warriors are going to regain their status as one of the best teams in the league, Andrew Wiggins must take a step forward in his development. The former No. 1 overall pick is overflowing with talent and athleticism, but he has yet to put it all together. This is the season that all changes, though. Surrounded by the best players he has ever had as teammates, Wiggins will find life a lot easier. He'll take advantage of the improved spacing and average nearly 25 points per game. Defensively, he'll be matched up against other stars on a nightly basis, and he'll acquit himself well. After years of falling short of expectations, Wiggins will finally live up to his potential and be rewarded with his first NBA All-Star selection.
Aside from Steph being Steph and Wiggins taking a step forward, there isn't an element more crucial to the Warriors' contending hopes than Draymond Green rediscovering his long-lost 3-point stroke. After shooting 34 and 39 percent, respectively, from beyond the arc in the first two seasons of Golden State's five-straight trips to the NBA Finals, Green hasn't come close since. He has been below 30 percent each of the last two seasons, and that simply won't cut it. Luckily for Green and the Warriors, he has had an exceptionally long offseason over which to fix his 3-point shot, and all indications are that he has been putting in the work. The Warriors don't need him to be a great 3-point shooter. They just need him to be someone the defense has to account for, and for the first time in a while, he will be.
If Wiseman is the phenomenal talent that the Warriors believe him to be, he should be able to do some special stuff right away. He'll have to beat out some internal competition for the starting center spot, but it shouldn't take him long to do so. There are few NBA players -- not just rookies -- who can compare to Wiseman's sheer size and freakish athleticism. Playing alongside Curry, Green and Wiggins, Wiseman will be a fixture in the nightly highlights, as he'll rack up dunks and blocks just by running the floor. He has so much potential, and will show plenty of glimpses of it. When the season comes to an end, he'll be the first Warriors player to be named Rookie of the Year since Chris Webber in 1993-94.
If Steph Curry and James Wiseman are candidates for MVP and Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star and Draymond Green shoots a decent clip from beyond the arc, the Warriors are going to be good. Very good. So good that they'll be able to navigate their way through an incredibly deep Western Conference and reach the conference finals. Awaiting them will be the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Finally, we'll get the playoff series we've long been waiting for.
