It’s difficult to gauge the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, as they’ve made very few changes in the offseason. They hope to expand on the success they saw in their 30-game sample size with Jimmy Butler, and, while that is certainly possible, it leads to one big potential obstacle that could derail any hopes of championship contention.
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Golden State has only added 52nd draft pick Alex Toohey and 56th pick Will Richard to the current roster. And they lost longtime big man Kevon Looney to the New Orleans Pelicans.
That leaves the team very dependent on Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. If that core stays healthy, the Warriors will have a chance. They play in the Western Conference, where a good 10 teams could potentially finish with a top-six record. Golden State can’t afford to start off the new season slowly.
“They’re a hamstring tweak away, an ankle sprain away from having to chase uphill,” Anthony Slater said on The Hoop Collective. “I do think that’s part of why they faded in the playoffs is because they were chasing uphill.”
Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. A team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, is more equipped to deal with those setbacks due to their depth. If the Warriors were to miss one of their stars for 2-3 weeks, they could plummet in the standings.
The uncertainty surrounding Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the team doesn’t help the cause. On the bright side, when fully healthy, Slater has high praise for what the Warriors could accomplish.
“I would say, if you line them up completely healthy in a series with almost anybody in the West — I wouldn’t necessarily include the Thunder in this — they’re extremely threatening and dangerous,” Slater proclaimed.
Although Slater is a Warriors insider, his statement doesn’t come from a place of bias. Golden State’s performance last season speaks for itself. They had a legitimate opportunity to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round if Curry hadn’t suffered a hamstring strain.
Starting the season with a fully healthy roster could propel the Warriors to an early cushion. Slater did warn fans not to get their hopes up too much, though. Their 22-5 record with Butler, Curry and Green requires the necessary context.
“It was a very easy schedule, and you had a full throttle Jimmy Butler. Steph went on one of his 10-game nuclear stretches. I don’t think you could extrapolate that to 82 games,” Slater admitted.
The NBA season isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. The Warriors, with an older core compared to the rest of the league, will need to pace themselves. The first 15 games will be very telling as to what type of season the Warriors will have.
