Unfortunate injury luck gives Warriors an opportunity no one saw coming

Tuesday's monumental win over Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks was the ninth in 11 games for the Golden State Warriors, lifting them to equal top the Western Conference standings alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns.

Wins over the Mavericks, Thunder and Boston Celtics -- the latter two of which came on the road -- have validated the Warriors strong start, with the franchise currently ranking third in offense, fourth in defense and third in net rating.

Unfortunate injury luck could provide an opportunity for the Warriors

Golden State's depth has been a huge factor in their positive early returns, even if it was the veteran star duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green who lifted the team to victory on Tuesday. The Warriors have the best depth in the league, to the point where head coach Steve Kerr has gone to a notable 12-man rotation to start the season.

Golden State perfectly navigated an awkward early stretch when they were without three starters -- Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton -- but have otherwise been fairly fortunate amid an injury crisis around the league.

As unfortunate and disappointing as the stockpile of injuries is right now, it gives the Warriors a significant opportunity that no one would have seen coming. Of the top four teams in the conference at the moment, Golden State are the only team not dealing with a major injury.

The Thunder are without their three main big man options in Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and of course Chet Holmgren who suffered a nasty fracture in his hip during the first-quarter of Sunday's game against the Warriors.

The Suns are currently without former Warrior and 2x Finals MVP Kevin Durant for at least two weeks with a calf strain, while Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is also out for multiple weeks with the same injury.

Golden State may be better placed than any of their main rivals to continue their surge to start the season. It's not to say that the Warriors will finish as the first-seed in the West or even top two, but given the injury issues elsewhere, they could be in that position after the first 20-25 games.

Who would have thought the Warriors would have a strong chance of being first or second in the conference over a quarter of the way through the season? It's an unlikely scenario few would have seen coming, yet now a legitimate possibility after the first 11 games.

The Warriors will undoubtedly see some injury issues of their own, but so long as it's not a serious Curry concern, then they are better placed than any other to cover absences given their depth.