Any team looking to contend for a title — or at the very least, looking to become a serious playoff team — has to bring something to the table. That takes the form of an identity rooted upon stability and consistency. In all of the years the Warriors have won their four championships, they knew who they were: a team that moves the ball, moves its players, and takes an egalitarian approach in order to boost the dominance of its best players.
That requires a couple of things: having a coaching staff that dictates the culture, having stars and veterans who accept the culture and set the tone for the rest of the roster, and — arguably the most important one — having the correct personnel to make that culture on the court an astounding success.
All of the above were present in 2015, 2016 (despite the blown 3-1 lead), 2017, 2018, and — against all odds — allowed the Warriors to succeed in 2022 and what empowered Steph Curry to do most of the legwork in their Finals win over the Boston Celtics.
Two years later and the story of the Warriors’ 2024 season is the complete opposite of the formula that took them to the top. There was no consistent stretch of any lineup, rotation, or identity they could bank on for long stretches. Injuries/suspensions played a part in that. Mistakes were made along the way (across the board: coaching staff, players, front office, etc.).
There’s no denying that the coaching staff led by Steve Kerr has seen better days. Even the most ardent Kerr defender or impartial viewer can see the stumbles and falls in terms of rotation decisions, lineups, and on-court tactical decisions. The Warriors had trouble playing the way they wanted to on offense, and the numbers supported that theory despite a healthy Curry season in which he played 74 regular season games — the most since the 2016-17 season (79 games).
They finished the season 10th in offensive rating (117.8) in non-garbage time, which feels like an underachievement given that they have one of the most potent offensive forces on the roster. But even while Curry can still move mountains as the focal point of the offense, he still needs to be supported offensively — which is true of all great players in the past, present, and future.