"It’s been 3 years since the Warriors won the playoffs in 2022. This year, what do people think their shot is at winning, as they go head to head with some not physical but emotional challenges? What exactly are we looking at?"-Vanessa schulte 6th grade
Start of the Golden State Warriors 2025 Season
San Francisco's Golden State Warriors began their season on Tuesday, October 21st, and they won 119 to 109 against the Lakers. This was a strong game for the Warriors and gives us a great idea of their performance this year. This game reflected the team's trades this year; the keeping of forward Johnathan Kuminga, Al Horford joining the team—the smooth play could tell us all we need to know for the season. It’s been 3 years since the Warriors won the playoffs in 2022. This year, what do people think their shot is at winning, as they go head to head with some not physical but emotional challenges? What exactly are we looking at?
San Francisco's Golden State Warriors began their season on Tuesday, October 21st, and they won 119 to 109 against the Lakers. This was a strong game for the Warriors and gives us a great idea of their performance this year. This game reflected the team's trades this year; the keeping of forward Johnathan Kuminga, Al Horford joining the team—the smooth play could tell us all we need to know for the season. It’s been 3 years since the Warriors won the playoffs in 2022. This year, what do people think their shot is at winning, as they go head to head with some not physical but emotional challenges? What exactly are we looking at?
This is predicted to be a big year for the Warriors, because we see all the players finally in a version we haven’t seen in a while; competitive and ready to win. Especially point guard Stephen Curry, who is now in his 17th year of his basketball career, and is at the age of 37. A few years ago, people started to question, Does he have it in him? Even now, this is probably a year we wouldn’t expect him to be playing. The New York Times’ Athletic post on the Warrior had this much to say about Curry, “At 37 years old, he somehow looks closer to 30 than 40. Closer to wonderful than washed.” The post was even titled “Stephen Curry is still magical and the Warriors have every right to believe.” Draymond Green was interviewed at this game and said to them, “We all know Steph and how he is. But he loves the show. Anytime there’s a show to be put on, he’s going to do it. And he did that … in a major way,” Green said. “Not only a star player, but Curry has almost undoubtedly been the backbone of the team.”
Nik White, High School Assistant Principal for OSA, says, “As long as Steph Curry is healthy and the Warriors' core stays healthy, they can upset a lot of teams. So they'll definitely make the playoffs.” This season, there's a high chance that Curry will be a key factor, and he can be very vulnerable to losing, which could be more likely because as he’s gotten older. If he loses to injury, this could be a hard season.
One of the other key players who might help carry the Warriors through this season is forward Johnathan Kuminga. Kuminga’s old deal with the Warriors expired last year, so over the summer, he was almost traded. Kuminga, fortunately, was kept and knows that he will prove himself this year. Since the playoffs, his stats have changed, almost replacing the role of Jordan Poole, with a statistical amount of points: 15.3. “Jonathan Kuminga. He's a great athlete. He can be developed a lot,” said White. He’s going to be another player that the Warriors can rely on to always hustle during the game. And it's said almost perfectly in the San Francisco Standard’s story, “Kuminga is in rhythm with everybody else.” We all love a star player like Curry, but just having someone in sync with the team can be really good.
Nik White, High School Assistant Principal for OSA, says, “As long as Steph Curry is healthy and the Warriors' core stays healthy, they can upset a lot of teams. So they'll definitely make the playoffs.” This season, there's a high chance that Curry will be a key factor, and he can be very vulnerable to losing, which could be more likely because as he’s gotten older. If he loses to injury, this could be a hard season.
One of the other key players who might help carry the Warriors through this season is forward Johnathan Kuminga. Kuminga’s old deal with the Warriors expired last year, so over the summer, he was almost traded. Kuminga, fortunately, was kept and knows that he will prove himself this year. Since the playoffs, his stats have changed, almost replacing the role of Jordan Poole, with a statistical amount of points: 15.3. “Jonathan Kuminga. He's a great athlete. He can be developed a lot,” said White. He’s going to be another player that the Warriors can rely on to always hustle during the game. And it's said almost perfectly in the San Francisco Standard’s story, “Kuminga is in rhythm with everybody else.” We all love a star player like Curry, but just having someone in sync with the team can be really good.
This year, the Warriors have experienced a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for player Al Horford, center forward. ‘'I think adding Al — we’ve needed a player like him for years, just a space five and protect the rim and guard multiple spots.”’ said Coach Steve Kerr on the San Francisco Standard. Al Horford is a remarkable guard because of his height, but like many other stars in 2025, he has aged since he joined the NBA in 2007. At 39 years of age, he could be in for another downfall if he gets injured. "Al Horford is definitely a great pickup. I mean, he's a champion. He has a lot of playoff experience. He's older; he's been in the league for 18 years. This is going into his 19th year, actually. I think it was a pick, a good pickup. You know, he's bringing that veteran leadership and veteran experience. But I think his age is going to be a factor because again it's not a big man's game anymore.” White said. Al is a great player who fills in the gaps, but at this point, the Warriors really need a player to pick up the slack and who we can count on to carry the team if they fall, and at this stage, we’re not sure what amazing benefits Al can bring to this team.
Since the championship, we realized another factor that has changed. The Klay Thompson trade. Klay Thompson left the Warriors in 2024 for the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson and Curry, who were nicknamed the ‘Splash Brothers’ because of their talent in the game, but also because of how they were so in sync. Basketball is a team game; just by connecting with each other, being there for them makes the team better. In this game, it's not just the skill; but if you have a great team, you're going to make it pretty far. Looking at the stats prior to the loss of Thompson, we see who's carrying the team.
Since the championship, we realized another factor that has changed. The Klay Thompson trade. Klay Thompson left the Warriors in 2024 for the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson and Curry, who were nicknamed the ‘Splash Brothers’ because of their talent in the game, but also because of how they were so in sync. Basketball is a team game; just by connecting with each other, being there for them makes the team better. In this game, it's not just the skill; but if you have a great team, you're going to make it pretty far. Looking at the stats prior to the loss of Thompson, we see who's carrying the team.
2025 Golden State Warriors Statistics, from 2024-25 Golden State Warriors Player Stats - Regular Season
2023 statistics from Land of Basketball
As we can see, in 2023, no one had any points except Thompson, Curry, and Poole. When we then look at 2024-25, we see how so many people pitched in. It’s more of a combination of all the players to play the game.
Brandin Podziemski, a 2nd year player, has recently taken some of these points. But Podziemski is still developing, which is why we go back to White’s comment that they need a lot of seniors to help this team grow. Though there are a lot of mixed feelings about Podziemski, for the most part, about how he fits in with this team. “Podziemski, He's a solid bench player. I think, you know, you gotta have, you gotta have guys who can come off the bench and produce when you gotta arrest Steph Curry. Of course, now with Steph Curry going into a 17th league, I mean, he's in great physical shape, but you still have to arrest him, and you need somebody to come in and produce. Um, I think he's been starting as of late, honestly. Um, I don't see Pajemski as a starter. I see him as a solid role player and a bench player.” White mentioned when bringing up Podziemski. Whereas another interviewee, Jordan Karnes, responded more positively to Podziemski. “I think he's [Podziemski] awesome. I think he has a lot of team spirit,” they said. To get a third person's word on this case, Nick Prozinski, a strong warriors fan had a lot to say about Podziemsk. “ He's an energy guy when the team goes into lulls at times. He's the guy who helps dig him out of it. You know, he's got a lot of youth, he has a lot of speed, agility, ability to guard various-sized people at times, and so I think he has a very important role, and it's great to see him doing well,” he said. While there are many mixed feelings on this rookie, we can see that he’s averaging out, looking at his 11.7 stat. It will be pretty interesting to see how he plays, especially in the defense sector.
Aside from the players, Coach Steve Kerr is possibly going into his last year as coach. This brought up a lot from the interviews, but a standout was this: “I honestly don't think they should get rid of Steve Kerr. I don't really see anybody replacing him and doing the same job he did here. I think that's all going to depend on how they do this season. If they can make a deep playoff run, I think Steve Kerr will be back. If they don't make the playoffs, I'm pretty sure this will probably be it. I would keep Steve Kerr until Steph Curry retires.” White said. It makes a lot of sense what he said, because going back to the spirit of the team, it’s hard to re-coach the players who have been on this team for over 15 years. Just to have that loss by itself is challenging. Steve Kerr is one of the reasons the Warriors are so good, and without him, this team may be looking at its last shot at winning the playoffs.
As we can see, in 2023, no one had any points except Thompson, Curry, and Poole. When we then look at 2024-25, we see how so many people pitched in. It’s more of a combination of all the players to play the game.
Brandin Podziemski, a 2nd year player, has recently taken some of these points. But Podziemski is still developing, which is why we go back to White’s comment that they need a lot of seniors to help this team grow. Though there are a lot of mixed feelings about Podziemski, for the most part, about how he fits in with this team. “Podziemski, He's a solid bench player. I think, you know, you gotta have, you gotta have guys who can come off the bench and produce when you gotta arrest Steph Curry. Of course, now with Steph Curry going into a 17th league, I mean, he's in great physical shape, but you still have to arrest him, and you need somebody to come in and produce. Um, I think he's been starting as of late, honestly. Um, I don't see Pajemski as a starter. I see him as a solid role player and a bench player.” White mentioned when bringing up Podziemski. Whereas another interviewee, Jordan Karnes, responded more positively to Podziemski. “I think he's [Podziemski] awesome. I think he has a lot of team spirit,” they said. To get a third person's word on this case, Nick Prozinski, a strong warriors fan had a lot to say about Podziemsk. “ He's an energy guy when the team goes into lulls at times. He's the guy who helps dig him out of it. You know, he's got a lot of youth, he has a lot of speed, agility, ability to guard various-sized people at times, and so I think he has a very important role, and it's great to see him doing well,” he said. While there are many mixed feelings on this rookie, we can see that he’s averaging out, looking at his 11.7 stat. It will be pretty interesting to see how he plays, especially in the defense sector.
Aside from the players, Coach Steve Kerr is possibly going into his last year as coach. This brought up a lot from the interviews, but a standout was this: “I honestly don't think they should get rid of Steve Kerr. I don't really see anybody replacing him and doing the same job he did here. I think that's all going to depend on how they do this season. If they can make a deep playoff run, I think Steve Kerr will be back. If they don't make the playoffs, I'm pretty sure this will probably be it. I would keep Steve Kerr until Steph Curry retires.” White said. It makes a lot of sense what he said, because going back to the spirit of the team, it’s hard to re-coach the players who have been on this team for over 15 years. Just to have that loss by itself is challenging. Steve Kerr is one of the reasons the Warriors are so good, and without him, this team may be looking at its last shot at winning the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors have definitely had their uncertainties over the past years, but this year, we are looking for that action. After their losses, trades, and wins, they have put the team together and need to play. The Warriors have all the assets they need to win, but it’s just almost luck that decides their fate through the season. The Warriors are a strong team that we see right now, but looking at past years, they're a wildcard. It really is a mental battle for them, and it looks like it can be tense. This year, what we are looking at might not be our finished result. Right now, we are sure that the Warriors might have strong players, but a shaky season.