Winning the title is probably out of reach, so the big question for Golden State is where it will ultimately settle–especially if Klay Thompson is out for the year.
VegasInsider says the Warriors are 12/1 to win the title. Oddsmakers have five teams ahead of Golden State–Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, 76ers, and Bucks.
That’s foreign to a team used to being the favorite every game, every season.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the Clippers. That’s why LAC is the title favorite. LAL and the Rockets were busy, too, getting lethal duos in James/Davis and Westbrook/Harden, respectively.
Significant loss if Klay can’t play (photo, Bluemanhoop.com)
The Warriors, on the other hand, lost Durant to the Nets and will begin the season without sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who may miss the season entirely. Durant and Thompson contributed 47.5 points per game last year while shooting +45% from the field.
Those losses mean the burden this year will be carried by two-time MVP Stephen Curry, defensive stalwart Draymond Green, and the versatile D’Angelo Russell. But the double-whammy of losing Durant and Thompson means there’s little room for error. As Forbes’ Patrick Murray put it, “As great as Curry and Green are, there’s only so much of the load they can carry for 82 games.”
While few expect Golden State to take the #1-seed this year, just about everybody expects the team to be playoff-bound again–if just barely. The Sporting News has GSW as the 7-seed, behind Portland and ahead of the Mavericks. FiveThirtyEight says the Warriors have a 77% chance of making the playoffs, but only a 9% chance of getting to the Finals.
Are those realistic takes of what’s in store for GSW? If so, what difference a year makes?
But one thing is a lock: no matter where GSW settles, it’s a story worth following.
