Translator's note: The original text was published in CBS. The data in the article were as of the time of the original text (local time on October 3). The dates and times involved were local time
On the far edge of the multiverse, the young and energetic warriors are getting better.
Jonathan Coominga is a scorer who can average 25 points per game. Jordan Poole is an All-Star. Brandin Pojmsky is playing triple-double. Moses Moody is a comprehensive 3D player. Teres Jackson Davis is the top vertical space threat that the Warriors have always longed for. James Wiseman, who has gained growth time without real-time record pressure, has become a starting center with bright prospects. Steve Cole has happily transitioned to the Greg Popovich-like mentorship late in his career, rediscovering his love for the game while coaching.
The word "double timeline" has become a joke now, but honestly, this strategy could have actually succeeded.
However, back to our real universe, none of this can be achieved. This is only for one reason, and only for one reason: Stephen Curry.
By the age of 37, Curry should have embarked on his farewell tour and headed into his twilight years. He will almost certainly remain a Warriors player, but his magic will fade as he gracefully gives the spotlight to young up-and-comers. After all, it used to be believed that small guards would start to decline rapidly in their early 30s.
, coupled with his early career ankle problems and the real consumption of his tireless off-ball running (performing 2.4 miles per game last season, about 3,862 meters, and an average offensive speed of 4.8 miles per hour), even if you think Curry will no longer be the core of the championship in his 17th NBA season, no one will laugh at you.
However, we are now in 2025, and every move the Warriors have made in the past few years is to build a team around Curry. He remains one of the few superstars in the NBA who have the ability to be the best player in the championship team. That's why the Warriors traded with Andrew Wiggins for Jimmy Butler. That's why they signed a four-year early contract extension with Draymond Green. That's why they signed 39-year-old Al Horford with a two-year contract. That's why they have a tough stance in their contract renewal negotiations with Kumingga - on other teams, he could have been a cornerstone of the future, and finally, after a long negotiation, the team signed him a trade-friendly contract with the 2026-27 team option.
"After all, this is still Stephen Curry's team. No matter what we need to do to help Stephen win, we will do it," Jackson Davis said on Monday's media day. "Coach Cole always puts winning first. He is always committed to helping Stephen because we know that when Stephen plays as he deserves, the chances of us winning are very, very high."
Indeed, when Curry "plays as he deserves", the Warriors are definitely a top team. In 31 games after Butler's trade last season, the Warriors scored 122 points per 100 possessions (equivalent to the league's No. 1 offensive level) when Curry was on the court, and only 109 points when he was not on the court. His running, ball merchandising, and of course, that extraordinary shooting ability makes everyone on the team better, basically throughout his career.
Last season, Curry averaged points and three-point shooting averages exceeded his performance when he was elected MVP for the first time in the 2014-15 season. According to Stathead, he has also become the only guard in NBA history who is 36 years old or older and averages more than 24 points per game.
His long and productive career is largely due to his legendary commitment to training and keeping his body in shape. Like LeBron James, Curry is constantly looking for new ways to extend his career, leaving his young teammates both awe and inspiring.
"When you see a guy like Stephen training, I think he's 37, right? And you see he's practicing more than a 20-year-old player, and he's incredible physical condition," Warriors forward Guy Santos said at Media Day. "So you just think, yes, I have to practice harder. That way I can be as good as him when I get to that age. While it's almost impossible, we do our best."
Curry is magical enough to keep his performance at such a high level, but it takes much more than that to be the face of the same team for 17 consecutive seasons. When James, Butler and Kevin Durant of their peers were in the middle of each team, Curry was in the same row with the Warriors, experienced the glory of winning four championships, and endured the trough of becoming the worst team in the league.
Character is an underrated aspect that determines the length of a career, and in all aspects, Curry's character is as pure as his jump shot.
"It can be seen from the way he speaks and his attitude towards people that he is the kind of person who deserves your observation and look up to," Warriors guard Buddy Hilde said. "You have to learn like a sponge because everything he does is impeccable. He is probably one of the best people I have ever been with. Seriously, not only in basketball players. It is also in life."
You ask almost any teammate and you will get the same answer. That's why players like Butler, Horford, and Durant before them were willing to change their lives for it—whether in basketball or personal—come to the Warriors fight alongside No. 30. The players want to win for Curry, and he wants to win for them. This is leadership.
In the NBA, in the sports world, in this polarized world we live in, it is rare to see a person receiving such widespread admiration. In fact, Curry found a perfect word for this on Monday’s media day.
"I think everything we do here is undoubtedly unique. So it adds color to the journey," Curry said. "It is unique to us to be able to keep the championship for so long. It is unique to us for so long... It is unique to me at this stage of my career."
"At the end of the day - you have to enjoy the beauty and accept the chaos that comes with it, because it is somewhat unprecedented."
Last season, the Warriors achieved a record of 23-8 after getting Butler, during which time they were first in the league in defensive efficiency and third in the league in net efficiency. They then defeated the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semi-finals, and Curry only played 13 minutes in the entire series due to a hamstring strain he suffered in Game 1.
This confirms once again what we, the Warriors management, and everyone in the NBA circle knows: even at this late stage of his career, how far this team can go depends entirely on how far Stephen Curry can take them.
"I don't think I've come out of the postseason disappointment because you always think, what if...?" Curry said at Media Day. "...As a player, you always think about things like this. It motivates you to think about what you can do this year and put yourself in a better position. I think I still have that emotion, and I think it's healthy and a good thing."
"...Enjoy the moment, but also look forward to the new season because I know I don't have much left in my career. So I'm excited to give all my goals for this year."
Author: Colin Ward-Henninger
Translator: GWayNe
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