Projecting Stephen Curry, Warriors Stars' Ceilings and Floors for 2024-25 NBA Season
The Golden State Warriors made significant changes ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
They did, however, find a new costar for Stephen Curry, meaning his best teammates are the same ones he had around this past season.
That could be a good thing, provided Curry and his top running mates can summon their best-case scenarios. Speaking of, let's dig into exactly what those scenarios are, while also entertaining the idea of what could go wrong for each one.
Stephen Curry
1 of 3
Ceiling: Curry's shooting rates and scoring volume increase, putting him back in MVP and All-NBA first-team consideration.
Most players can only dream of the kind of campaign Curry produced last season (26.4 points on 45/40.8/92.3 shooting), but the numbers fell a pinch short of his otherworldly standards. The season prior, he averaged 29.4 points on 49.3/42.7/91.5 shooting. Two years before that, he was at 32 points on 48.2/42.1/91.6 shooting.
His shooting touch and general skill level have helped him navigate the aging process better than most, and there's a chance they now help him turn back the clock. The Klay Thompson-less Warriors will need all the scoring and shooting Curry can provide, and it's possible Curry provides enough of each to earn All-NBA first-team honors and serious MVP consideration.
Floor: His availability drops, his efficiency doesn't bounce-back and he gets bumped off of the All-NBA rosters.
Curry is 36 years old and not exactly the biggest or strongest player residing in the basketball world. His body can't always withstand the punishment it takes over the 82-game marathon. His 2019-20 campaign was effectively erased by injuries, and he was held to just 56 outings in 2022-23.
If he's not playing 60 games, the Warriors are toast. If he's not flirting with a 50/40/90 slash, his odds of making another All-NBA appearance might be similarly extinguished.
Draymond Green
2 of 3
Ceiling: Green clears the 70-game mark, factors in the Defensive Player of the Year race and remains a viable three-point threat.
Green's 2023-24 season was a suspension-filled mess, but you only have to travel back one year prior to that to find the last time he made 70-plus appearances. In 2022-23, the do-it-all defender always finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
With Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton added to the mix, Golden State's defense could be stingier now, giving Green at least an outside chance of earning DPOY honors for the second time in his career. As long as we're being optimistic, let's also leave open the possibility that he's a credible perimeter shooter for the second consecutive season (39.5 percent this past season, albeit on low volume).
Floor: Green can't stay on the court or shoot, and the Warriors don't have enough spacing to work around his shooting limitations.
Green played 55 games this past season and 46 in 2021-22. He's not exactly a lock to hit 60 games, in other words, and any suspensions that come his way could be extra harsh given his history.
When he's on the court, it's possible he won't be quite as helpful, since opponents no longer have to account for Klay Thompson's shooting. Spacing could get tight—especially if Buddy Hield can't force his way into a significant role—and Green, a career 31.9 percent three-point shooter, would only add to the congestion.
Jonathan Kuminga
3 of 3
Ceiling: Kuminga surpasses 20 points per game, ups his activity as a defender and rebounder and runs away with the Most Improved Player award.
Last season was billed as Kuminga's breakout, but that may have just been the appetizer for his true leap year this time around. His role and starting spot should be finally be fully secured, and the lack of an established costar should allow him to explore all aspects of his game.
With his burst, shot-creation bag and finishing ability, it's not out of the question that he pumps in better than 20 points per night. (He averaged 17.2 as a starter last season.) If he hits that mark while also becoming the kind of rebounder and defensive stopper that his physical tools say he should be, then he might be a no-brainer choice for Most Improved Player honors.
Floor: His skills don't show discernible improvement, his lack of consistency eats into his floor time again and he gets shipped out for a more reliable option.
Kuminga's prospect pedigree and moon-boots bounce help drive the hype train, but there's been more sizzle than substance in his game. He isn't a glass-cleaner or an in-traffic shot-creator, and his defense often appears scatterbrained.
While the Warriors would love for him to become their second star, they won't wait on that improvement forever. And if it's clear he isn't making the leap, they could wind up shipping him out for an established producer and letting someone else handle his upcoming restricted free agency.
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