Tag: Golden State Warriors

Who will the Lakers play this Christmas Day?

The NBA’s Christmas Day schedule has been leaked, and Lakers fans will be in for a Yuletide treat.

Just like opening presents, eating turkey or ham and helping the underprivileged, the Los Angeles Lakers playing on national television has become a Christmas tradition over the years.

It is hard for many to remember the last time the Lakers didn’t play on Christmas Day. That’s because the last time it happened was in the 1997-98 season (there were no Christmas Day games in 1998 because of a lockout that pushed the start of the season to February).

On Thursday evening, the Christmas Day games for this coming season were leaked. Per Shams Charania, the Purple and Gold will be visiting the Golden State Warriors, which means fans will be treated to a matchup of arguably the two greatest players of the last dozen years or so: LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

The last time Los Angeles played the Warriors on Christmas was in 2018, which was James’ first season with the team. You may recall that although it won handily, James suffered a groin injury that kept him out of action for several weeks afterward.

The Warriors look even weaker than they were this past season when they failed to make the playoffs, as Klay Thompson left to join the Dallas Mavericks. But one can be sure they will be fired up by the presence of the Southland’s finest basketball team.

Warriors young core must show signs of growth next season

The Golden State Warriors younger contingent must show signs of development next season.

The Golden State Warriors have been straddling two developmental timelines for multiple years. At the one end of the spectrum, you have Steph Curry and Draymond Green, two veterans with vast championship experience and the talent to continue challenging at the highest levels of the NBA. On the other hand, you have Jonathan Kumigna, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski all of whom look capable of leading the Warriors’ next generation.

However, Steve Kerr has often struggled to find the balance between developing the franchise’s younger talents and ensuring the team is competitive enough to give Curry and Green a shot at winning another championship ring.

In a recent episode of “Locked On Warriors,” the hosts discussed how Golden State can bridge the gap between the two timelines. The conclusion was that the Warriors’ younger talents must show signs of rapid growth so that they can play their part in a potential push to the NBA Finals, either next season or the one after.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Steph Curry ranked as 5th best guard in the NBA

HoopsHype has ranked Steph Curry as the fifth best guard in the NBA heading into next season.

Steph Curry will turn 37 years old during the 2024-25 NBA season. The Golden State Warriors veteran is writing his career’s final chapter. He’s currently working on the Olympics segment as he chases a gold medal with Team USA. However, once he returns to the Bay Area, all focus will turn toward challenging for an NBA championship.

Curry may be in the final phase of his playing career, but that doesn’t mean he’s ineffective. In fact, HoopsHype has recently ranked him as a top-five guard in the NBA, with Luka Doncic, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton the only players ahead of him in their latest rankings.

“Curry’s next season will be his age-36 campaign, so if we project a slight drop-off for the former two-time league MVP and progression from other promising young point guards like Haliburton and Brunson, Curry’s place on this ranking starts to make more sense,” HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina reasoned. “Even so, we expect Curry to remain among the elite of the position in 2024-25 and challenge for All-NBA honors once more. We just think that the next campaign might be a bit of a passing-of-the-guard season in the point-guard hierarchy in the NBA.”

Curry played in 74 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 45% from the field and 40.8% from 3-point range. Despite his age, he remains the best shooter in the world and can punish any defense when catching the ball in space.

Golden State’s roster has undergone some significant changes this summer. As such, Curry will have some new teammates to gel with and potentially some new opportunities to get open and attack any potential space. After all, he is still at his best when letting the three-ball fly and leading by example.

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A closer look at Quinten Post’s game

The Golden State Warriors have released a video breakdown of Quinten Post’s game.

The Golden State Warriors selected Quinten Post with the 52nd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The versatile big man can play both the power forward and center position. At 7-foot tall, Post adds genuine size to Steve Kerr’s roster. If he can find a way to crack the rotation, his presence will go a long way to solving a legitimate issue within the Warriors’ team construction.

Post spent time playing for both Mississippi State and Boston College before entering the draft. However, most Warriors fans are likely wondering what the big man brings to the table. As such, Golden State’s social media team has released a video breakdown of Post’s skillset.

The video shows all the different aspects of Post’s game, along with some highlights from his collegiate career. It also heavily features Post talking through his skillset and how it can translate to the NBA.

You can watch the full breakdown by clicking on the embedded video above.

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Kevin Durant bites back at Keyshawn Johnson

The superstar forward clapped back at Keyshawn Johnson’s recent criticism.

Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 has generated significant criticism over the years. Many NBA fans and analysts have questioned the legitimacy of Durant’s two championships with the franchise due to his inability to win another ring without the help of Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

Even now, five years after Durant left the Bay Area, his tenure with the Warriors is still questioned. The latest instance of this was when Keyshawn Johnson noted that Paul Pierce could have had a similar impact if he was put into the same situation in Golden State. However, Durant quickly chose to snap back at the Fox Sports analyst.

“If the Jets would’ve took Jonathan Ogden, Marvin Harrison, Ray Lewis or Eddie George number 1 they would’ve been better off……I hate comparisons,” Durant wrote.

Durant’s comments were aimed at Johnson’s tenure in the NFL, and the fact he was drafted ahead of multiple future Hall of Fame talents. The Phoenix Suns star was likely making the point that it’s easy to make historical claims without them ever needing to be tested.

Durant is currently in Paris with Team USA as Steve Kerr attempts to lead a star-studded roster to a gold medal.

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Why the Warriors can contend for a championship next season

The Golden State Warriors have enough talent within their roster to challenge for the 2025 NBA championship.

Last season, the Golden State Warriors failed to make the playoffs. Steve Kerr’s team struggled to control games and often lost games from winning positions. Since the start of the offseason, Golden State’s front office has presided over a significant roster change, led by Klay Thompson’s exit.

With so many new faces and a roster full of versatile talent, there’s hope that Golden State can show improvements from what we saw last season. As such, Kerr’s team could emerge as a potential contender in the Western Conference, especially if their defense improves from what we saw last season.

In a recent video by the “Bully Ball” YouTube channel, the host explores the potential for Golden State to win the NBA championship next season, even laying out four different reasons why it’s a logical expectation for the franchise.

You can watch the full video by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Draymond Green says he does not have interest in coaching Michigan State basketball

MSU fans who want Draymond Green to coach the Spartans one day will not be happy with his comments:

Many fans in the Michigan State basketball fan base have made it known that they have a desire for Golden State Warriors star forward and MSU legend Draymond Green to be the head basketball coach at Michigan State one day.

Unfortunately, the former MSU star and future NBA Hall of Famer does not see himself having a desire to coach Michigan State after his NBA career:

‘Man I love Michigan State so much… I will always be a part of the program, but I’m just not sure I can coach Michigan State. Chasing around high school kids whose parents think they are the best thing since sliced bread and trying to tell me what I should do for their kid… I’m not sure I can really do that. And also I’ve been on a basketball schedule all my life, and I don’t think people know what that entails… Being a coach, their schedule is actually worse than mine and my schedule sucks!’

Listen to Green’s full quote via X:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

Can Jerry Stackhouse improve the Warriors defense?

The Golden State Warriors new assistant coach has some ideas on how to improve the team’s approach on defense.

Steve Kerr’s coaching staff has two new faces heading into the new season. The Golden State Warriors have hired Terry Stotts as the lead assistant, while also adding Jerry Stackhouse to the ranks. The former is expected to have a significant impact on how the Warriors look to approach things on the defensive end moving forward.

During a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, Stackhouse detailed his vision for how he wants Golden State to play defense. He noted how physicality would be a keyword moving forward while also looking to design a system that works for the player personnel on the roster.

“Physical – that’s the one word that I would say,” Stackhouse said. “Physical. You’ve got to be able to scramble, you’ve got to be able to rotate, and you have to see things. A lot of that is kind of built in. We want to shy away from things that go against what we don’t have built-in. That’s my philosophy on the defensive side of the ball since I’ve been coaching…But you always want to see your personnel and adjust accordingly, not come in so rigid where we just want to do it a certain way. There are some special talents, and they don’t have to do it the same way everybody else does. You have to understand that.”

Golden State finished 15th in defensive rating last season. They lost multiple close games down the stretch, often from a winning position. If Stackhouse can have the desired impact, the Warriors could be capable of winning 50 or more games in the upcoming campaign.

Of course, Stackhouse isn’t the only one working with new talent this year. Kerr has multiple new faces on the roster. As such, the Warriors’ overall approach is expected to be different from what we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent years.

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The Warriors front office believes in Jonathan Kuminga

The Golden State Warriors front office remain high on what Jonathan Kuminga brings to the table.

Jonathan Kuminga enjoyed a breakout 2023-24 season for the Golden State Warriors. The third-year forward played in 74 regular-season games, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field. Kuminga’s size and athleticism give Steve Kerr’s roster a different dimension.

During a recent appearance on “The TK Show” podcast, Joe Lacob discussed Kuminga’s potential to continue developing while noting that he had multiple admirers within the Warriors front office. The explosive forward is seen as a future All-Star and a core piece of Golden State’s young core, thus making him incredibly valuable to the franchise.

“I’m a big, big believer in Jonathan Kuminga,” Lacob said. “Everyone knows I’m a big JK fan. So is our basketball operations, Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) and Kirk (Lacob) and those guys. And by the way, so are our coaches. I know people sometimes think that’s not true, but that is true…He had a big step last year. We expect him to have another big step this year. I expect him to be a Warrior for a long time.”

The Warriors’ insistence on straddling two timelines has begun to pay dividends, as multiple members of the young core are starting to emerge as high-level role players and potential stars of the future.

As such, it’s only logical to expect Kuminga’s role to continue expanding in the coming years as he continues to develop and work toward becoming one of the elite forwards in the NBA.

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The Warriors should show signs of improvement next season

The Golden State Warriors could look vastly improved next season.

It’s been a summer of change for the Golden State Warriors. The front office has moved quickly to replace Klay Thompson while also adding depth and versatility to the rotation. Of course, the franchise is still lacking in size at the center position. Nevertheless, the Warriors’ roster projects to be an impressive one.

When speaking to Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” podcast, Joe Lacob discussed the roster turnover throughout free agency before noting how he expects this iteration of Golden State’s roster to build on the franchise’s poor showing in the 2023-24 NBA season, when it missed out on making the postseason.

“I don’t think we’ve ever, since I’ve been here, added three veterans, substantially positive impact veteran players, to the roster all at once like that,” Lacob said. “Yes, Klay is gone. That’s a negative. Chris also leaving, you know, a negative. But I think when you take everything into account … adding those three guys makes us better…I think if you look at the whole team, you’d have to say, and our models do project us to be better than last year.”

Steve Kerr has multiple new talents available. He also has a high-level coaching addition in Jerry Stackhouse, who could help rebuild the team’s defense after they finished 15th in the league for defensive rating last season.

There’s a lot of reasons to be excited for the Warriors upcoming campaign, but it all starts with accepting that things in the Bay Area have changed, and that means the on-court product could look different.

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