Projecting Stephen Curry, Warriors Stars' Ceilings and Floors for 2022-23 NBA Season
At one point, the Golden State Warriors were annual locks to win the NBA title.
The 2021-22 group wasn't that. It was, of course, still champions all the same, but preseason expectations called for everything from a title run to an early playoff exit.
The Warriors shouldn't have such wide splits between their best- and worst-case scenarios for the 2022-23 campaign, health-permitting. But some of their brightest stars do have sizable gaps between their floors and ceilings.
Stephen Curry
1 of 3
Ceiling: MVP
Curry has two potential paths to next season's MVP: Either as the best player on the best team or simply the best player overall.
The latter route should seem entirely too ambitious for a 34-year-old, but that ignores the fact that he is a basketball magician. Prior to winning his first Finals MVP this June, he spent the 2020-21 campaign collecting his second scoring title and taking bronze in the MVP voting.
Floor: Misses time, left off All-NBA teams
Curry last cleared the 70-game mark in 2016-17. If the Warriors have shown anything, it's that they'll err on the side of caution regarding injuries and health maintenance, so even a few minor things popping up can have a major impact.
A healthy Curry will produce either really good or great numbers, but if he loses around 20 contests (he has averaged 13.5 absences the past two seasons), that could open the door for six guards to fill up the three All-NBA teams without him.
Draymond Green
2 of 3
Ceiling: Defensive Player of the Year
Green suited up just 46 times last season and still snagged a spot on the All-Defensive second team. If you needed anymore evidence about his supreme talent on that end, that's a pretty ridiculous example.
Between his five-position versatility, paint and perimeter protection and constant communication, he's arguably the ideal anchor of a modern NBA defense.
Floor: Injuries and offensive inconsistency reduce role
Green hasn't often struggled with injuries, but as he probes deeper into his 30s (he'll turn 33 in March), perhaps they'll become a bigger nuisance.
And if they're coupled with further regression on offense—sub-30 percent three-point shooting the past four seasons, back-to-back seasons with a new career-high turnover rate, per Basketball-Reference—he could start having his minutes crunched.
Now, that would likely require some serious development by the young players on this roster, but Golden State has enough potential-rich prospects that it could happen.
Andrew Wiggins
3 of 3
Ceiling: Returns to the All-Star Game
A repeat of this season's success feels pretty close to a best-case scenario for Wiggins, who might have a doctorate degree by the time he's done being schooled at Golden State University.
The 27-year-old made his All-Star debut in 2021-22, and he could save his spot by continuing to improve his defensive consistency and shot-making.
Floor: Suffers deep decline in shooting efficiency, sometimes gets squeezed out of closing group
Since the start of 2020-21, Wiggins has splashed 38.7 percent of his three-point shots. In his first six NBA seasons, he connected on just 33.2 percent of his long-range looks.
Obviously, this offensive system helps him find more open looks, but what happens if his jumper turns into a pumpkin again?
Well, the condensed answer is that he could be in jeopardy of being locked into the team's closing unit. If the Warriors have another lock-down stopper they trust—Jonathan Kuminga would have to develop a ton to get there, but he has the physical tools—they won't have to look Wiggins' way all of the time if he's spoiling their spacing.
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