2020-2021 Golden State Warriors: WarriorsTalk Writers Recap the Season and Discuss the Path Ahead

It’s not an understatement to say that the 2020-2021 Golden State Warriors season was one that was hard to stomach. After a Klay Thompson Achilles injury appeared to doom the season before it tipped off, we witnessed peak-level Stephen Curry performances that were highlighted by an absurd scoring barrage in the month of April. Those highs would only be matched with gut-wrenching losses and frustrating missed opportunities that ultimately led to a postseason absence for the Golden State Warriors.

In a season that ended in overtime, the best phrase that could sum up the 2020-2021 season might be: “What could have been.” Though the end of the season is still fresh, next season will come before us quickly. And with a hungry and motivated Klay Thompson back into the fold with Curry and Draymond, next season can be much brighter for Warriors fans. The key will be making the right decision heading into a decisive offseason.

As we look ahead, the WarriorsTalk writers discussed the highs and missed opportunities of this season, and outlined what they believe are the necessary steps for the Warriors to take if they want to get back to being a contender.

What was the biggest positive impact coming out of this season?

Michael Waldman: The biggest positive impact to come out of this season was Andrew Wiggins. In his first full season in Golden State, the former No. 1 overall pick averaged 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, but it was his emergence on the defensive end which solidified a successful season for the forward. Once dubbed “the least defensive player” in the league by FiveThirtyEight back in his Minnesota days, the wing routinely welcomed defenders to Wiggins Island and had the second-best defended field goal percentage among high-volume defenders months into the season. With a top-three protected pick from the T-Wolves in the upcoming draft, Wiggins’ acquisition made a positive impact on the floor this season and could make a positive impact for years to come.

Ben Strawn: Knowing what we have in guys like Jordan Poole and JTA going forward. Having guys that we know can make plays in games that matter and are under good contracts is huge.

Arden Cravalho: It has to be Jordan Poole. His stint in the Orlando Gubble did wonders for his confidence. We witnessed the birth of a whole new Jordan in the second half of the season. Golden State now has a potential Sixth Man of the Year winner on their roster for next season. Since summer is almost here, it's Poole party season.

Carlos Murillo: It’s hard to find silver linings after a season where you fail to make the playoffs when you have an MVP-level Steph Curry and DPOY-caliber Draymond Green, but the emergence of Jordan Poole cannot be talked about enough. After struggling early on in the season and falling out of the rotation, a stint in the G-League helped him regain his confidence and unlock another level to his game. He clearly grew more comfortable each night, becoming a legitimate and reliable force off the bench. Poole is an exciting and skilled player who can build off the momentum of a strong sophomore season —- which included some high-level activity in the play-in games — and take another leap next season.

Alexander Hutton: The best development was Stephen Curry proving that he is capable of being a transcendent basketball player without an All-Star supporting cast. Entering this season, there was significant doubt about whether he could succeed without players such as Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant providing floor spacing and serving as offensive threats. It was Curry’s first full season without an All-Star teammate since 2014 and though he only played five games in the 2019-2020 season, he wasn’t nearly as productive or efficient in that small sample size as he had been with better offensive teammates. This past season, he removed all doubt, earning a scoring title and posting what was probably the second-best offensive season of his career. He did so in spite of being surrounded by what one source ranked as the NBA’s third-worst supporting cast. When Curry played, the Warriors had a league-average offense. When he didn’t, they had the worst offense in recent NBA history. Curry almost singlehandedly dragged the Warriors to relevancy this season and proved once and for all that he can excel without star teammates.

Joshua Morgan: I think the biggest positive coming out of this season, other than the fact that Steph Curry proved himself to be the best basketball player in the world, was the development and buy-in from the relative newcomers. Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Juan Toscano-Anderson all had great years and slowly transitioned into the Warriors brand of basketball as the season progressed. That bodes well for next year.

Pete Hernandez III: Aside from Stephen Curry “saving” his legacy which was never in doubt and proved to be no surprise to Warriors fans, the biggest positive development has to be the emergence of the newest additions alongside Curry. Andrew Wiggins was efficient and proved to be a two-way player, Jordan Poole had a breakout second half of the season after playing in the G-league bubble, and Juan-Toscano Anderson became the high-energy impact player off the bench that this team needs. Going into next season, there’s promise knowing the aforementioned three are ready to roll alongside Steph, Klay, and Draymond. Better yet, they all came ready to play in the two play-in games against the Lakers and Grizzlies.

What was the biggest missed opportunity of this season?

Michael Waldman: The biggest missed opportunity comes from a personal favorite in Eric Paschall. Playing on the NBA’s worst team last season, the then-rookie from Villanova averaged 14 points per game, enough to land him All-Rookie First Team honors. With Curry in tow, Paschall had a chance to solidify himself as a key rotational piece and had success early as he rattled off double-digit scoring in eight straight contests at the start of the season. And while it was not his fault, the chance to be one of the first men off the bench was missed. Paschall was sidelined for a significant portion at the end of the season with a hip injury and picked up healthy DNP’s in the team’s two play-in losses.

Ben Strawn: Avoiding the play-in tournament and making the playoffs outright. Coaching and front office sent mixed signals about what the team goals were throughout the year, sometimes acting like playing in the postseason was a priority and sometimes acting like it was an afterthought. If their goal was clear to begin the season like it seemed to be at the end, we would have skipped the play-in tournament and would be battling in the playoffs while giving young players more needed experience.

Arden Cravalho: This one is tough for me cause I could name a lot. A handful of games should've turned out to be victories over subpar basketball teams. The two losses to the Wizards really stand out to me and Wiggins had a big part in that. Two critical mistakes from him in the closing seconds of both those games had me questioning this team for the longest time.

Carlos Murillo: This question is extremely difficult because the entire season was defined by missed opportunities on, nearly, every level. In general, missing the playoffs with Curry playing at a ridiculously high level is, in my opinion, a monumental failure despite all of the obstacles ranging from Klay Thompson’s injury to Damion Lee’s bout with COVID-19. The goal of the season was to build for next year and there’s no amount of practice or film sessions or regular-season minutes that can stack up to the value of getting postseason reps for guys like Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Andrew Wiggins, and others. There were avenues for improvement — both systemically and personnel-wise — and the Warriors’ ownership, front office, and coaching staff ignored them all, limiting the amount of growth and opportunities for development at their disposal. The Warriors could have avoided the play-in altogether, but they had two great opportunities to punch their ticket to the playoffs — including a wide-open look at a game-winning layup against Memphis — so falling short is a terrible fumble.

Alexander Hutton: To some extent, this whole season felt like a missed opportunity. Let’s imagine for a moment that we are the basketball gods and can go in and change anything from the season that we wish. To take the Warriors from an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference to a fifth-place finish, we need to change, at most, 15 plays. Think about that. Not 15 games. Not 15 quarters. 15 plays. What this shows is how it would have been a pretty good idea to chase a few more wins throughout the season. At times, it felt as though the coaching staff and the front office weren’t especially interested in whether or not this team made the playoffs, even though they clearly could have. Ultimately, I think this came down to both the executives and the coaches being a little less aggressive than they should have been. The front office could have pursued an experienced veteran through a trade or the now-expired disabled player exception. The coaches could have given just a few more minutes in a handful of games to Curry and Draymond Green and probably turned some close losses into wins. By not doing so, they forced the entire team into the play-in round and put two extra games on the team’s schedule that never should have been there.

Joshua Morgan: The biggest missed opportunity for me was missing out on James Wiseman's development due to injury. As we saw throughout his rookie season, he is a project. He had a lot of bad moments this season, but also regularly flashed the talent that made him the #2 overall pick despite only playing in three college games. As the season went along and he got more reps, he started to show improvement. If the Warriors want to get back to the top of the NBA hierarchy, they will need Wiseman to fulfill his potential, so the lost time definitely hurts.

Pete Hernandez III: The lack of development for Wiseman in his rookie season is up there, but given how the Warriors’ season ended in overtime, I have to say the lack of chasing wins earlier in the season. Nobody is clairvoyant and could have predicted Golden State to catch fire down the stretch, but I look back to those losses against the Magic and the way they fumbled the game at Charlotte, and the truth is that the Warriors could have racked up some valuable wins t their record. Maybe they end up hosting the Lakers in the play-in game, or very well could have avoided the play-in entirely. The fact that the playoffs are missing a peak-level Steph Curry is a detriment not only to Warriors fans but to the league itself.

For next season to be considered successful, what is the Warriors’ #1 priority heading into the offseason?

Michael Waldman: The team which built a dynasty on shooting needs to add just that to have a successful offseason. Klay Thompson will hopefully return to some semblance of his old self, which would clearly help, but having Juan Toscano Anderson and Kent Bazemore as your best shooters apart from Stephen Curry is not a recipe for success. A bench unit playing with Wiggins needs to have reliable shooters, and I have greater trust in Damion Lee than Mychal Mulder on the basis of experience, but more is still better. Danny Green and JJ Redick are free agents in the coming offseason, and the front office could also turn to a bigger shooter like Tony Snell, who could stretch the floor from more of a wing position.

Ben Strawn: Have to get another legitimate piece to pair with Klay and Draymond. This trio’s time to win is now, so the front office needs to go all in to give this team a shot at winning another chip.

Arden Cravalho: I'm going to go with finding another big. Injuries are a part of basketball and you have to construct a roster to be ready for those situations. When Wiseman went down, this team was lacking size and length. Looney had his moments but I would like either a vet that has some playoff pedigree under his belt or a stud big man in the draft if we end up at a solid spot in the lottery. I'll be writing some pieces on that as we get closer to the NBA Draft.

Carlos Murillo: Building a roster — and system — that makes sense for NBA basketball in the 2020s and can properly support Curry’s continued and unrivaled greatness. It’s of the utmost importance that they look to add shooting and playmaking. Their priorities should remain the same as long as Curry, Thompson, and Green are together: go all-in on contending for a championship, no matter what.

Alexander Hutton: The Warriors need to acquire some veterans to bolster their supporting cast and prepare for a 2021-2022 season that could involve serious postseason contention. Specifically, they need smart, steady players who can help generate offense off the bench. It’s something that they’ve had in the past in guys like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, but it felt like they were missing that this year. Bob Myers and the rest of the executives should focus on adding a veteran big man, a veteran shooter, and a veteran ballhandler. The title window for this team is open, but not by a lot, and it won’t be for much longer. This team needs experienced players that can contribute immediately, and should try to bring those types of players in by any means necessary.

Joshua Morgan: I think it wouldn't hurt to add a few shooters this offseason, and the Warriors need to make sure that they nail their pick and Minnesota's pick (if it falls out of the top 3). Other than that, they need some rest! Steph and Draymond are getting older and just went through the grind of a whole NBA season, Andrew Wiggins played basically every game for the Warriors; even though it would have been nice to make an appearance in the playoffs, the players now have the chance to get some of that much-needed rest. As long as Klay gets healthy and the rest of the team stays that way, the Warriors are going to be real contenders next year.

Pete Hernandez III: We need veterans on the bench that are ready to maximize the window we have now with peak-level Steph, Draymond locked in defensive mode, and Klay coming back hungry and motivated. As far as I’m concerned, we need a player that can go and get a bucket when needed, and we need a veteran big to add depth and help Wiseman as he continues to develop in year two. Adding a shooter or two isn’t bad either, and it all leads to a crucial offseason where Joe Lacob and co. might be forced to pay a hefty bill, but price shouldn’t be an issue if it means getting back to contention right? I’m also looking towards that potential lottery pick via Minnesota, if it doesn’t defer to next season, then I’d much rather package that into a deal for veteran players ready to make an impact now, versus developing another lottery selection for the future.

In a year that was dealt an enormous blow in the form of Klay Thompson’s injury, the truth is that the outcome of this season could have very well been much worse. Golden State could have proven ESPN right when they predicted them to finish 14th in the West. Instead, the two-way efficiency of Wiggins and the rise of Poole and JTA proved to be bright spots for the future.

Granted, the same can be said for what was left on the table. If Golden State could have executed earlier on in the season and avoided gut-wrenching losses, they may very well have avoided the play-in entirely. Think of the growth for players like Poole and JTA via playing in a playoff series. That experience and impact go beyond what shows up in the box score.

Ultimately, the 2020-2021 season could have been so much more, but there’s a path ahead to the next season, and we could very well see brighter days ahead. There are positives to build on and there are opportunities to take if the Warriors front office has the will to act on them. It’s easy to prepare for the future, but don’t neglect the opportunity in the present. With Stephen Curry in his prime, the front office has to build this roster to win now, not later.