5 keys to the Golden State Warriors’ title hopes

We've all seen the dominance of the Golden State Warriors in the past decade. But Klay Thompson's ACL injury, and the free agency market of 2019, which saw Kevin Durant take his talents to Brooklyn, left the Warriors in a precarious situation.

Early in the 2019-20 season, Curry fractured his left hand, and the rest of the season was just used to develop the rookies on the team. Tragedy struck the Warriors camp again when Klay Thompson tore his Achilles in a pickup game just a few days before the start of the 2020-21 season.

The team, however, was slightly enforced by the addition of Andrew Wiggins, who was a part of the trade that saw D'Angelo Russell shipped to the Timberwolves, and Kelly Oubre acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite this, a lack of depth saw the Warriors underperform, with Stephen Curry having to shoulder the brunt of the offensive load and Wiggins playing as their second option. They got into a groove during the last few weeks of the season but were eliminated after back-to-back losses against the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.

Their losses helped them get the 14th pick in the draft, in addition to the 7th pick, which they had acquired in the Timberwolves trade for D'Lo. They ended up drafting Jonathon Kuminga at 7 and Moses Moody at 14 in the NBA Draft.

Now that the Summer League is almost over, and with training camp beginning soon, here are five keys to look out for if the Golden State Warriors are going to have any chance to contend for this year's NBA title.

How can the Golden State Warriors win the NBA title?

1. Return of Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson suffered ACL and Achilles injuries in a span of two years

Klay has been out for more than two years now and has suffered the two worst injuries possible in quick succession. At 31 years old, Klay is nearing the end of his physical prime and may no longer be the All-NBA defender he once was.

However, his shooting will still be elite and will provide Steph Curry with much-needed respite from the double and triple teams that were being thrown at him all season long in 2021. If he can return to even 80% of his former self, then the Warriors will immediately be propelled into contender status.

Thompson has said that Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury recovery has motivated him, and he feels he’ll be back to full power by the end of the year.

2. James Wiseman’s development

James Wiseman was the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA draft

James Wiseman had an awful rookie season, based on nearly every advanced stat available. However, that was to be expected since the Warriors threw him into the deep end of the pool by letting him start.

The rookie, who barely played any games in college, had to face extremely physical centers day in and day out. This, coupled with his rawness, meant that he would rack up fouls exceptionally quickly and would have to sit out considerable portions of games. However, he did impress the fans with his raw athleticism and a pretty jump shot.

The Warriors coaching staff are delighted with Wiseman’s work ethic and see him as a Hakeem Olajuwon prototype. With Kevon Looney as the only other center on the roster, James Wiseman will have a huge role to play in the upcoming season and has to make significant improvements in his game if the Warriors want to make a deep run in the playoffs.

3. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody’s roles

Moody and Kuminga will be a part of the young Warriors core for years to come

The Warriors Front Office was overjoyed when Jonathan Kuminga fell to them as the 7th pick in the draft, and also that they were able to get Moses Moody with the 14th pick.

Kuminga is a highly recruited talent out of high school with offers from many D1 colleges. However, he chose to take his talents to the NBA G-League instead, where he was able to develop his game further and also got his body ready for the league.

He is a raw talent with unreal upside. He has shown great passing vision and willingness to drive to the hoop during the Summer League. However, his loose handles and inconsistent jumper are a cause for concern.

The Warriors will be sending him back to the G-League so that he can iron out the chinks in his game and hope that he can return as a player who can provide 20-25 minutes off the bench at the forward position.

Moses Moody, on the other hand, was viewed as a prospect with a limited ceiling but capable of making an immediate impact in the league as a 3-and-D player. At 6’6, he has the size to play either the shooting guard or the small forward. With his polished jump shot, he will provide much-needed spacing to the Warriors’ offense.

It will be extremely important for the two rookies to develop quickly and produce off the bench, given that the Warriors’ offense has been a one-man show the past couple of seasons.

4. Jordan Poole’s ascension to the sixth-man role

Jordan Poole averaged 12ppg off the bench in the 2020-21 season

Jordan Poole was a late first-round draft pick in the 2019 draft. He had a very inefficient rookie season but showed flashes of greatness with his nifty handling and playmaking vision.

Thrown into the fire in his sophomore season, he struggled to start off before being sent to the G-League for about a month. Jordan Poole exploded in the G-League and returned to the NBA a completely changed player.

His shot selection had vastly improved. He was allowing the game to come to him and was taking up the challenge of anchoring the offense when Curry was off the floor. He was an integral part of the 8-man rotation that the Warriors ran to end the season and came up extremely clutch in a lot of games. His confidence was off the roof (who else would attempt this poster on LeBron James?).

Known to be the hardest worker on the Warriors, he has put on around 10 pounds of muscle over the summer. Both fans and the front office are hoping for a 6-MOTY level season from Jordan Poole, and it will be interesting to see if he lives up to those expectations.

His contribution to the Warriors' offense will be vital, both as a starter until Klay returns from injury and as the bench anchor.

5. A Stephen Curry MVP season

Steph Curry won the scoring title last season, averaging 32 ppg

There are no words to express what Stephen Curry did last season. He was in MVP conversations despite being on a team that ended up with the 9th seed. He showed the world what they had missed after taking a back seat to Kevin Durant during his 3-year stint with the Warriors.

However, Steph is now 33 years old, and it is unfair to expect him to play at this level for more than 2-3 years. Fans and the Warriors front office are viewing the next couple of seasons as the main championship window for the Warriors’ Big 3 consisting of Klay, Draymond, and Steph.

After a successful off-season consisting of some nice additions through free agency and the draft, Steph will finally have enough help to carry the Warriors deep into the playoffs.

The entire offense revolves around him, and he will have to emulate his heroics from the previous season if the Warriors want to have a chance to get past the superteams of Los Angeles and Brooklyn to win the chip.