After dominating the NBA for five straight seasons, the Golden State Warriors have the worst record (12-40) in the league entering play on Feb. 6. But don’t be surprised if they’re right back in the championship mix next season.
“The big-picture plan starts with get Steph Curry and Klay Thompson healthy and get them back on the court,” Yahoo! Sports NBA Contributor Keith Smith said on After Hours with Amy Lawrence. “Steph should return sometime within the month or early March. Klay, probably not going to play this year. They’re probably going to play that safe and we’ll see him next year.”
Then the Warriors must decide what to do with D’Angelo Russell, who is averaging 23.6 points and 6.2 assists per game.
“If they don’t move D’Angelo Russell – and I don’t think they’re going to because they’re not getting blown away with offers – how do him and Steph fit together in the backcourt?” Smith asked. “If they fit together, that takes a lot of the pressure off to move him – because Klay Thompson is going to come in and be fine next to whoever. He’s essentially the preeminent 3-and-D player in the NBA.”
If Russell fits, the Warriors’ backcourt is set. if he doesn’t fit, they have options.
“If it doesn’t really fit, then the big-picture plan is use Russell – and the fact tat he’s a very good All-Star-level player – to really rebuild on the fly here and bring in more talent around Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green,” Smith said. “They’re going to have a nice pick this year because they’re not a very good team. You could really see the Warriors right back in the mix for a championship because they’ve got all the pieces they need to rebuild very quickly.”