Is the Warriors Dynasty Over?

 


Written By: Dylan Grodner of Swish Tribune

Is the Warriors Dynasty over? After being eliminated by the Lakers in the 2nd round of the Western Conference, fans have been wondering if this is the end for one of the best teams ever assembled. Throughout the year this Warriors team has been disillusioned, not looking like the raining champs they were the season before.

This all started before the season even went underway. In early October, the Warriors were having a pre-season practice, when things started to become chippy between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. The next moment Draymond took a swing at Jordan Poole, punching him in the jaw. The season only went downhill from here. 

The Warriors season has been up and down all season long. They were by far the best team at home maintaining a record of 33-8, however they just couldn't win an away game, winning only 11 games on the road. They finished the season with a record of 44-38 and were the 6th seed in the West. This was somewhat surprising as the year before they finished 53-39 and were the 3rd seed in the West. 

Although the Warriors team didn't change much on paper, their team chemistry certainly took a hit. Steph Curry played like an MVP candidate all season long, however the rest of the team did not step up. Klay Thompson definitely bounced back from his injury and played very well during the regular season, yet he was nowhere to be found his last 4 games against the Lakers. He averaged no more than 10.5 points in those games, shooting just 26% from the field and 28% from three. Andrew Wiggins didn't provide much during the series against the Lakers, averaging just 15 points. In addition, Wiggins missed a large portion of the season due to a family issue, adding to the Warriors struggles with team chemistry. Finally, Jordan Poole may have had the worst stretch of his playoff career, averaging 8 points and shooting 30% from the field. Overall this was just not the same championship team we saw a season ago.

Leaving many Warriors fans with concern, the team definitely has some issues to address, both on and off the court. That being said, I don't think the Dynasty Days are over for this Warriors squad. Although we may see some moves being made with this team over the offseason, I don't think that the core of Steph, Klay, and Dray is over with just yet. 

If the Warriors can piece some of their valuable assets together, including Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and others, they can definitely make a move for another star, potentially putting them back in the position they were in last year. The Warriors certainly have the pieces to make a splash this offseason, yet the question that still remains is will they be buyers, looking for stars to add to an already talented roster, or will they be sellers, trading away many of their valuable key players. 

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