The Golden State Warriors are still on a roll after the Dubs hammer the Sacramento Kings in a huge blowout win on Friday, 130-104. They’ve already won six straight games after beating a talented Kings roster who’s without Domantas Sabonis.
From being down to the 10th to 12th seed before the All-Star break, the Warriors have surely come a long way as they now finally sit on the 6th spot in the West. This leads us to the question: Are the Warriors back on track to becoming contenders once again?
Draymond Leads in Scoring, Curry Makes Historical 4,000th 3-Pointer, and Warriors Winningest with Butler on the Floor
It’s not a common sight to see, but former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green led Golden State in terms of scoring. Green, who was the only Warrior to take more than 10 shots against the Kings, recorded 23 points in 8-for-14 shooting.
However, Draymond’s season-high 23 points wasn’t the biggest highlight during their blowout win. Perhaps it’s Stephen Curry’s historic feat after the greatest shooter of all time rakes in 4,000 career three-pointers made.
Curry becomes the first to ever do it and it so happens that he breaks this milestone on his 37th birthday! 4k 3-pointers is significant proof of how Curry has changed the game. Although it’s not entirely unachievable, given how players today love to take a lot of threes, we can’t deny how surreal and unbelievable Curry’s journey has been.
But, going back to the question: Are the Warriors top contenders again?
Well, they’ve been winning a lot of games, especially when Jimmy Butler plays. Every time the 35-year-old star steps on the floor, Golden State is 13-1 (including their most recent six-game win streak).
They may win games now, but adding an aging Butler to their ranks doesn’t automatically make them the biggest contenders, especially in a tight Western conference. Offense and defense aren’t their biggest issue right now, but rather their raw and young talents that still couldn’t consistently get the job done.
The Bay Area can’t rely on their aging stars anymore, considering that Curry, Green, and Butler may just have a couple of seasons more for their last push. However, with how great they’ve meshed with Jimmy Buckets, the Warriors have shown that they’re still a tough team to beat.
They’re still making some progress, albeit slowly. Curry is still making ridiculous records and carrying this franchise in his back, yet their chances of becoming championship contenders are still slim.
