The 2019-20 season has brought change upon the Golden State Warriors from top to bottom. While the Warriors embraced innovation with their new arena in San Francisco, the team didn’t want to modify anything when it came to the on-court product.
Over the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors have been a premier team in the NBA, registering five consecutive Finals appearances. On top of winning, the Warriors rolled out one of the most dynamic starting lineups in basketball, featuring four All-Star players.
In the 2019-20 season, things are far from where they once were. The Warriors sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a league-worst 12-43 record.
At the center of Golden State’s struggles has been injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry has only played four games all season due to a hand injury while Thompson has missed the entire year as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals.
In Golden State’s down season, the Warriors’ television ratings have suffered. According to the sports media and analysis outlet Awful Announcing, Golden State’s television broadcast flagship NBC Sports Bay Area is down 66 % when it comes to Warriors games.
Via Awful Announcing:
The Golden State Warriors, who have dominated the NBA’s local ratings for the last few years, saw their ratings decline by a staggering 66% on NBC Sports Bay Area. That’s the second-largest decline in the league (behind only the Denver Nuggets, down 72% on Altitude, which is beset by carriage issues), and has also knocked the Dubs out of the league’s top five overall.
Although things are bleak, the Golden State Warriors could receive a jolt in the final months of the season. Reports point to March as the target month for Curry’s return from his broken hand. A March returns to the floor would give the Warriors around 20 games with their former Most Valuable Player.
Although the Warriors are out of the playoff picture, the impact of Curry’s return turns Golden State into must-watch television. How the All-Star guard meshes with new teammates like Andrew Wiggins gives fans a peek into the future.