The Golden State Warriors' veteran core is aging. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are all in the final stages of their respective careers. As such, they'll need some additional help if they want to win a fifth championship in the coming years.
Fortunately for the Warriors, they have multiple young talents who project as legitimate talents. Jonathan Kuminga has shown that he can become an All-Star in the future. Brandin Podziemski made the All-Rookie first team after a strong debut season while Trayce Jackson-Davis ended the season with a starting role for Steve Kerr's team.
According to Draymond Green on a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the Warriors must adjust to letting their young talents comprise bigger roles.
"It's going very important for us to define who it is that we're going to be," Green said. "We're changing bro. We're getting older. We are not the same basketball team that we were in 2019 or even 2022 for that matter. It changed. I think Steve is doing an incredible job, like where he's becoming more open to Jonathan Kuminga having the ball more...It takes some time to adjust to that when you've had the level of success that we've had."
The Warriors don't need to embrace a full youth movement. Curry is still among the best guards in the NBA, but allowing some of the younger stars to absorb some of the workload makes sense. Aging bodies take longer to recover and begin to slow down. Golden State's veteran core can still make a massive impact. They could also begin to embrace a leadership role as they help nurture the Warriors' next generation of stars.
Kuminga has shown he's capable of being a primary play-finisher. Podziemski has helped ease Curry's ball-handling load. Moses Moody can play a spark-plug role off the bench.
Golden State has been straddling two timelines for multiple years. They've received criticism for doing so. However, their commitment to building for the future while remaining competitive in the moment could pay dividends.
The Warriors are aging. They're not the same dominant superteam they once were. Leaning into the youthful legs of their younger talents could be the best way to squeeze a few more years of elite production out of the championship core. Otherwise, it might be a tough ending to some legendary careers.
