An NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder has revealed the key to the Golden State Warriors winning an NBA Championship.
The Thunder were the NBA’s elite last year, finishing as the one-seed in the Western Conference and battling the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals over seven games. They were forced to battle through the stacked West on their way to their franchise’s first title, however.
While injuries ravage the Eastern Conference, the West is a gauntlet from top to bottom. The Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and LA Lakers all fancy themselves as NBA title contenders. And a Thunder player has revealed the key for the Golden State Warriors to make a run.
Alex Caruso reveals the key to the Golden State Warriors winning another NBA championship, ‘It comes down to…’
Alex Caruso, who won the championship with the Thunder last season, revealed what he thinks is the key to the Warriors’ future success.
Speaking on NBC Sports Bay Area and California, he said, “For the Warriors, it just comes down to if they can get Steph healthy. That’s the big deciding factor. If he’s healthy, you’ll always have a chance to win a playoff series.
“He and Draymond [Green] obviously have so much experience. Then Jimmy [Butler] is Jimmy. Everybody knows. I don’t think he was particularly 100% healthy in those playoffs either. Having those guys healthy is a big deal.”
Health derailed the Warriors’ season last year. They shot up the standings in the second half of the year after trading for Jimmy Butler, then health derailed their season.
They beat the Houston Rockets, who have since traded for Kevin Durant, in round one, but Curry went down with a hamstring injury in the second round, and the Warriors fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Curry, who played golf with Charles Barkley this offseason, seems to be recovering well. If he, Butler, and Green can stay healthy for next year’s playoff run, they can make it five NBA titles for Curry.
Golden State Warriors’ standoff with Jonathan Kuminga stalls offseason plans
The Warriors are the only team in the NBA to have not signed or re-signed a player this summer. Golden State are linked with Al Horford, but won’t commit to signing him until they reach an agreement with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
NBA Insider Brett Siegel said that a resolution to the negotiations could be reached in the coming weeks. That would then allow the Warriors to make a series of signings to bolster their roster and improve their championship hopes.
They need the youth of Kuminga in their roster of ageing stars. Curry, Butler, and Green have an average age of 36 and will likely need help managing their workload throughout the regular season.
Strength in depth is therefore vital for the trio to stay healthy, so the Warriors need to make some additions before the market runs dry.