Stephen Curry, Warriors Have 'Almost No Shot' at Playoffs According to NBA Exec

It looked like the 2019-20 season would be a bit of an anomaly for the Golden State Warriors as they missed the playoffs altogether. At least one NBA executive thinks a similar fate could be in store for Steve Kerr's squad.

"I think they have almost no shot at the playoffs," an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "Unless Draymond has a renaissance, Steph might be everything that he's ever been and they still might not make the playoffs."

To see such a negative outlook about the Warriors heading into the 2020-21 campaign is a bit surprising, but Golden State showed last season how quickly—and badly—things could go off the rails.

Acquiring Kelly Oubre Jr. helped stabilize the roster in the wake of Klay Thompson's torn right Achilles tendon. Still, the franchise is now even more dependent on the health and performance of Draymond Green and Stephen Curry. Losing one of the two for a stretch of games could be disastrous.

The Warriors will likely be starting rookie James Wiseman, a 19-year-old who played three games at Memphis. Andrew Wiggins is the embodiment of unfulfilled promise so far, and his contributions didn't make the Minnesota Timberwolves a postseason threat until Jimmy Butler arrived. Oubre saw his career year with the Phoenix Suns end prematurely due to a torn meniscus.

Look beyond the starting lineup, and you have a group of players (Damion Lee, Brad Wanamaker, Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole and Marquese Chriss) who are solid but a step below the second units for some other contenders in the Western Conference.

In general, the West figures to be unforgiving. Of the eight playoff teams in 2020, only the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder have clearly gone backward. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies, Suns and New Orleans Pelicans should be meaningfully better after finishing outside of the top eight.

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed the Warriors at No. 11 in his most recent power rankings with the biggest free agents off the board. They were the sixth-highest team in their own conference.

Even at full strength, Golden State has some glaring flaws. Another bad break on top of Thompson's injury could put the team right back in the lottery.