“It’s over.” That’s how NBA Hall-of-Famer and current analyst Charles Barkley described the Golden State Warriors’ fabled run. The Dubs’ dynasty—if it could be described as such—began in 2014 and saw the franchise win four titles, including three in a four-year span from 2015 to 2018.
But, according to Barkley, that run is over.
“They had one of the greatest runs in NBA history, but it’s over,” he said during a recent guest appearance on The Tom Tolbert Show. “They’re just old. Steph [Curry] is on the Mount Rushmore, but he’s going to keep breaking down. I don’t think Jimmy [Butler] is the same player, and Draymond [Green] definitely is not the same player. Everybody gets old. There’s nothing you can do about it. They just got old.”
Warriors Are, Indeed, Old
To Barkley’s point, Golden State is the NBA’s second-oldest team by average age at 29.6 years old, just behind the LA Clippers’ 30.0. Its core four superstars—Curry (37), Butler (36), Green (35), and Al Horford (39)—are all on the other side of 30 and showing signs of either decline or increased injury risk.
Curry is still doing magical things with the basketball, but he has missed nine games so far. Butler, meanwhile, has looked good in stretches but average at best at other times. He has also missed four of Golden State’s 29 games up to this point. Green, who has missed six games thus far, has seen his production dip across the board, while Horford has played in just 13 games.
Maybe Barkley Has a Point?
Despite Curry still cooking to the tune of 28.8 points per game, the Warriors are, at the moment, a play-in team at 14–15, which puts them at No. 8 in a loaded Western Conference. Golden State is also middle of the pack in both offense and defense and is among the teams that turn the ball over the most. The season has unraveled so much for the Warriors that coach Steve Kerr has admitted to not having done a good job at all.
So, yes, maybe Charles Barkley has a point. But he could also be wrong. There’s a third of the season to go, and the Warriors are still a team with superstar talent and championship pedigree. Besides, Barkley has been wrong before about the Warriors—and he could be wrong again this time.
But it’ll be up to Curry, Butler, and company to silence critics like Sir Charles.
