Warriors: What do you aspire to in the 2025-26 season in the NBA?
Can Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler return the Warriors to the top of the NBA? That’s the big question.
Contenders or not? This is the big question that hangs over the Golden State Warriors in the next season.
They continue with the star trio Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butlerbut they are a year older in a league dominated by young people Oklahoma City Thunder.
What do the Warriors aspire to? AM850 experts answer this and other questions.
1- The Warriors are serious contenders for the title in 2025-26…
Reality: After the departure of Klay Thompson, the Warriors found a way to reinvent themselves with the arrival of Jimmy Butler in the middle of the previous season, when they went from a losing record (25-26) to reaching the Conference semifinals, thanks to the drive of someone seeking his first NBA championship.
For this campaign, another veteran arrived, Al Horford, who with his inside game will contribute to Golden State’s scheme to free up the perimeter for Stephen Curry and even for De’Anthony Melton who returns to the franchise; With a starting five that averages 34 years, this could be the last real opportunity to add another title to the dynasty, in a West full of candidates. —Juan Pablo Sánchez
Fiction: If they want, the Warriors can start the season with a starting lineup where all the players are 35 years old or older. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and the newly acquired Al Horford are all excellent players – but they no longer have the legs for a long, demanding season with a higher risk of injury precisely because of their ages. With the arrival of Horford, we do not know what will happen with Jonathan Kuminga, a player who at 23 years old could be considered the future – or an important piece – of the team, since there are rumors of him being traded. And everything for what? The Warriors are not at the level of Denver, Oklahoma City or even Houston. —Eric Gomez
2- A number for Warriors heading into the season…
35.8. The average age of the projected Golden State Warriors starting lineup. A five of Stephen Curry (37 years old), Buddy Hield (32), Jimmy Butler (36), Draymond Green (35) and Al Horford (39) would be the oldest average age in history. With Jonathan Kuminga (23 years old), the average would be 34 years. Many of the experts and the AM850 BPI seem not to take the age factor into account when making their predictions.
If we see the glass half full, this is a team with championship experience that adds an efficient center on both sides of the court like Horford and a Jimmy Butler in a great season in the Bay. With health on their side, they can be solid contenders to threaten the young Thunder in the Western Conference. —Hiram Martinez
3- The best/worst version of the team…
The best: It seems complicated, because the years do not pass in vain, but the best version of the Warriors would be one in which they are once again a powerhouse in the three-point shot with Stephen Curry as the top scorer. However, of that team that made an era and dominated the NBA, only Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr remain, and although the team maintains its same game system, it is no longer the one that dominated both the goal and the paint and established records.
The office has made every effort to surround Curry with talent, but except for Jimmy Butler and at times Jonathan Kuminga, the rest of the cast gives one piece of sand to two pieces of sand. For this season, the arrival of Al Horford can enhance control in the interior zone, but being a veteran, you have to have a plan B in the center position. Warriors need to start building for the future and stop depending on Curry so a different version of that for now seems unlikely.
The worst: The one that has been seen from them in past campaigns. Depending on Curry, crossing our fingers that D-Green doesn’t do something stupid on the court or with his teammates and miss games, and having an irregular season that hopefully allows them to get into the play-in zone. Warriors on paper look like a solid team, but the depth of their roster leaves a lot to be desired. —Roland of the Forest
4- What impact will Al Horford have in the new edition of Warriors?
At best, a lot. Horford provides frontcourt shooting and height in the paint and perimeter to a Golden State team that lacked both. In the worst case, ‘Father Time’ caught up with him and at 39 years old he is beginning to show his age.
Sure, Horford has been a consistent player with good game IQ from the start. His presence alone, his experience, must count for something as the veteran Warriors try to extend the window of containment led by Stephen Curry. His minutes will be managed, and I have no doubt that Steve Kerr will find a way to make him a crucial presence on both sides. The key question is whether Horford, at his age, can still fill the role. —Victor O. Lopez
