For the first time since 2015, when they won the NBA championship, the Golden State Warriors will not enter the season as the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. It is entirely unfamiliar territory for Steve Kerr’s side after they lost the 2019 NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors in six games. The Warriors also went through a lot of changes in free agency, losing Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
Even though they got All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors will be without star shooting guard Klay Thompson as he recovers from a torn ACL. For the first time since 2010, the Warriors starting lineup on opening night will not include Thompson.
D’Angelo Russell on the Warriors sign-and-trade coming together pic.twitter.com/quJXShu4rQ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 9, 2019
Despite all those problems and the fact that the Warriors have their weakest squad in years, ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry is not writing off Golden State as an NBA title contender.
“I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d be all over this bet,” Goldsberry wrote in his column, referring to the Warriors opening the season as +1,400 championship favorites according to Caesar’s Palace. “Why? Call me crazy, but if Klay Thompson returns to action by March or April, and the Warriors are in the playoffs, they’re terrifying.”
Updated odds to win the 2020 NBA Title (BetOnline):
LAC +350
LAL/MIL +500
HOU +800
PHI +900
DEN/GSW/UTA +1400
BOS +2000
BKN/POR/TOR +3300
DAL/IND +4000
MIA +5000
SAN +6600
NO +10000
SAC +12500
ATL/DET/OKC/ORL +15000
MIN +20000
CHI +25000
MEM/NYK/PHX/WSH +30000
CHA/CLE +50000— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) July 12, 2019
Still, Goldsberry is concerned with a weaker defense after Iguodala, one of the best defensive forwards in the NBA, was traded away. Also, another good defender, Thompson, is out for several months. Golden State did finish outside of the top 10 in defensive rating in the previous two years despite the presence of Durant, Thompson and Iguodala. Grant Liffmann of NBC Sports Bay Area observed that those absences would leave Golden State with plenty of questions on the defensive end of the floor.
There are a lot of possibilities for the Warriors next season, though. If Russell develops strong chemistry with Stephen Curry in the backcourt, and if the Warriors solve their defensive issues before Thompson returns to the court, they could be a force in the playoffs.
