Who is the most dominant team in the league during specific eras is an easy argument to have. The Boston Celtics utterly dominated the NBA in the 1960s while the Chicago Bulls stood on business throughout the 1990s.
And the Lakers have had their moments in the sun, as well, particularly during their early 2000s three-peat. But the 2010s belonged to the Golden State Warriors. Led by Stephen Curry, likely the greatest shooter in the history of the game, the Warriors made five consecutive trips to the Finals and won three of them.
They held LeBron James’ Cavaliers to one title during that run. In doing so, the Warriors picked up five conference titles and five division titles along the way. They also set the greatest regular season record of 73 wins and nine losses in the 2010s.
As the league heads into the 2025-26 season, the legendary Warriors of the last decade are gone. Excluding their title win in 2022, they have lost the mystique that comes with pure dominance on the court. An aging roster with a coach who doesn’t seem to want to develop young talent has put Curry, who undoubtedly wants at least one more title before he retires, in an impossible position to win from.
Steph Curry needs the Warriors to be better
The change in the Warriors had been obvious since the bubble season, though the cracks really came into focus the season before Klay Thompson left. Keeping in mind that none of the team’s mainstays were performing up to their legendary reputations, he was shooting miserably.
Klay was integral to their dominance in the 2010s, so his departure was seen by many as the end of an era. Everyone except for Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr, it seems.
His continued reliance on aging superstars without developing new talent for the next generation has placed the entire franchise in an untenable position. Simply put, they can’t grow or evolve. The Jonathan Kuminga situation is a prime example of this as he has what it takes to be the next team leader, yet can’t get playing time.
Instead, the franchise bolstered their aging core of Steph Curry and Draymond Green by bringing in Jimmy Butler. They are all great players who are in their mid to late 30s and are getting closer to retirement. While the deal hasn’t happened yet, the Warriors also seem intent on bringing in Al Horford, who has been in the league for nearly 20 years and is strongly considering retirement.
Stephen Curry needs young guns to back him up
Without question, Steph Curry is still a threat as a shooter and a play maker. And Draymond Green is still a threat, mostly to Rudy Gobert. Heck, Jimmy still has some tread on the tires, though the days of “Playoff Jimmy” may be behind him. None of that is enough to get the Warriors another chip before Curry decides it’s time to put the mouthguard away and focus on golf.
This is a team that desperately needs to start building for the future because the “win now” approach is not working. Not with the team they’re half heartedly trying to build. As great a player and leader as Curry is, winning a championship with the current team and their weak roster-building strategy is going to get them to the first round of the playoffs at best.
What’s disappointing about the situation is that the Warriors have good, young players on their team and have also let a few slip through their fingers. This is the franchise that took a chance on Stephen Curry, someone few pundits and ESPN talking heads believed would make any kind of impact on the game. Yet, he changed it. Now, the Warriors are wasting his last few years in the league.
