Historically, experience has outclassed youth in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder squashed that narrative by winning the 2025 championship. OKC’s historic run, powered by a roster with an average age of 25.6 years, saw them become the second-youngest team to win a title, behind the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. The Golden State Warriors, however, are striving to revive the traditional narrative of experience winning over youth back in vogue.
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In the 2024-25 season, not many teams had more momentum than GS. They finished the season 23-7 after adding Jimmy Butler to the lineup. The combined experience of Butler, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green propelled them to a win over the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
But Golden State’s title hopes ended when Curry strained a hamstring, and the Warriors were unable to overcome the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. Now, the Warriors want to win the title next season with an aging roster. The Dubs’ average age, as per reports, is 27.8 years. Thunder guard Alex Caruso provided an honest assessment of the Western Conference rival’s chances.
Caruso stated that, despite that setback, the Warriors are on the Thunder’s radar as potential threats. “For the Warriors, it just comes down to if they can get Steph healthy,” he said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
“Like that’s the big deciding factor. If he’s healthy, you always have a chance to win a playoff series,” added Caruso, who knows far too well what the Warriors are capable of with Curry on the court.
In 2021, as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he faced Golden State in the play-in. The Lakers narrowly scraped by with a 103-100 victory. But Curry did his best to give the Warriors a chance. The 11-time All-Star finished with 37 points and 7 rebounds.
Caruso guarded Curry for most of the game and couldn’t do anything to slow him down. The combination of Curry and Green substantiates Caruso’s take.
“Him and Draymond just have so much experience,” Caruso added. Between the two Warriors stars, they have 324 games’ worth of playoff experience. That mark is more than the number of playoff games played by 18 of the teams in their entire history.
The new variable in the equation is Butler. Although he showed glimpses of his true self, he wasn’t the same player in the playoffs that fans know him to be. Having played against him in the 2020 NBA Finals, Caruso knows firsthand what Butler’s capable of.
“I don’t think [Jimmy Butler] was particularly 100% or healthy in those playoffs either. So having those guys healthy is a big deal just because of the experience and competitive nature that they have,” Caruso said.
When it comes to their star core, the Warriors certainly can compete for a title. Questions come up when examining the rest of the roster. Their lack of depth could hurt them, especially against the Thunder, who can play 12 players on any given night.
Regardless, Golden State has the respect of teams across the league. In a wild Western Conference, nobody is taking them lightly, not even the defending NBA champions.
