Ups and Downs from an Up-and-Down Warriors Season

The 2024-2025 NBA season is in the books, and with it, one of the more tumultuous and turbulent seasons this team has seen with Stephen Curry at the helm.

As a Warriors fan, it feels like there's been at least three self contained seasons within this single season. In the beginning, everything was fantastic. Fans abound were riding the November high of a transcendent Buddy Hield performing his best Klay Thompson impression as the wins racked up. Writers and pundits alike walked back their claims of a dying dynasty and everyone was happy.

Then, the muddle middle season reared its ugly head. Curry looked defeated and bored, Draymond Green played uninspired defense, and Hield returned to his more regular role player, streaky shooting self. Dennis Schröeder was brought in to take the ball out of Curry’s hands, but the fit was awkward. December to mid February was a slug fest where we watched our team deservedly fall to eleventh in the Western Conference.

But, on the horizon, hope! Jimmy Butler arrived in the Bay, heralding in the final season of play, and Golden State looked revived. They tore through competition, finishing the regular season on a 23-8 run and leaping into the seventh seed in the Playoffs. Tough injury luck ended the championship hunt early, but this was the most excitement fans had felt in years.

It feels miraculous that all of these stories crammed themselves into one season, but now that we sit waiting for a new champion to claim their own Larry O’Brien Trophy, here are six takeaways for the Dubs going forward.

Up: The Warriors have a vision. Curry, Draymond, Butler, and Steve Kerr all have two years left on their respective contracts. The front office has made it clear that this is our core going forward and this is the core they believe can win another chip. The early returns have been encouraging, and now management has an offseason to bolster the roster around these three stars even further.

Down: Jonathan Kuminga’s development has stalled, at least as a Warrior. Kuminga started the season strong, proving he could be a consistent scoring threat both in the starting lineup and off the bench, but a gnarly ankle injury sidelined him for over 30 games. He never regained his spark upon returning and fell out of favor with Kerr in the Playoffs, racking up DNP-CDs. A few high scoring games at the end of the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves may have saved his trade value, but it's clear that JK will be a better fit on another team.

Up: Quinten Post on the other hand could have a bright future as a Dub. Don’t get me wrong, Kuminga’s a better baller and has a much higher upside than Post, but Post fits much better into Kerr’s system. Kuminga needs the ball in his hands to make a play. Post doesn’t. He thrives setting screens and playing in pick-and-pop action. With a full offseason as a true member of the team, expect Post to take a big leap forward as a decision maker and defender.

Down: Adding talent in the offseason will be difficult. Without getting into financial jargon and tax specifics, Golden State is going to be hamstrung with penalties because of how much the trio of Curry, Green, and Butler make. This means the team will lose access to their mid level signing exception, diminishing which players will be interested in playing for the Warriors and forcing the front office to make some tough decisions and find some creative trade outlets. Are impending free agents Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney worth keeping? What kind of return would a Kuminga trade even fetch? Does anyone on the market even move the championship needle?

Up: Curry’s hamstring injury may have ended Golden State’s season, but it was encouraging that nothing worse happened. It's just a reality of sport that with age comes a higher risk of injury, and the Warriors stars are unfortunately on the wrong side of thirty. However, they escaped this season without major structural injury and now have been gifted a long offseason to rest, recuperate, and heal.

Down: Western Conference competition is only going to get tougher. Golden State may have their most clear vision since the height of the dynasty, but almost every other team in the West will also be taking steps forward. Anthony Edwards is looking more and more like Michael Jordan reincarnated and Cooper Flagg is set to make some big noise in Dallas. The Los Angeles Lakers still have LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Clippers still have James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, and the Memphis Grizzlies still have Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. The Denver Nuggets are sure to reload around three time MVP Nikola Jokić; the Houston Rockets still have their plethora of young talent and are eyeing one of either Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, or Giannis Antetokounmpo to add in the offseason; and newly crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder look primed for a new dynasty. All that to say, next season won’t be any easier.

In a drama filled, nerve racking, frustratingly exciting kind of way, this season was fun, but here’s to praying that next season comes with more stability and a parade through San Francisco instead.