ESPN analyst states Warriors are second-best team in West behind OKC originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
One ESPN analyst is picking the Warriors as the second-best team in the Western Conference.
Tim MacMahon explained why he believes Golden State has a shot at rising up the standings during the final month of the 2024-25 NBA season.
“I’m going to go with Golden State here,” MacMahon said Tuesday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Obviously, playoff Jimmy [Butler] is a thing because we’ve seen him before. But, more than anything else, Steph Curry last night, Steve Kerr talked about how tired he was.
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“They’ve got to get him some rest and get his battery recharged. But he’s still playing at the peak of his powers. Him and Draymond Green, four-time champions. I just think they have the talent and the pedigree to be the biggest threat to Oklahoma City [Thunder].”
While the Warriors have been rejuvenated since trading for Butler, the daunting depth of the Western Conference will be challenging to overcome. Even without three-time MVP Nikola Jokić in uniform, Golden State flopped against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the current No. 2 in the West. While rookie center Quinten Post has been a solid performer recently, Golden State lacks the size of the other contending teams.
It will be critical for the team to reintegrate Jonathan Kuminga back into the fold, as his incredible speed and athleticism could give Golden State an edge against other teams. As it stands now, relying solely on Curry and Butler to generate consistent offensive production isn’t going to cut it.
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The same old cliches about the postseason exploits of Butler, Curry and Green don’t hold up like they used to. This Warriors team will need marked improvements from its bench to make it to the Western Conference finals.
