Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
The Golden State Warriors championship defense came up short. Steph Curry and company will be back to try again next year but some big changes could be coming.
Repeating as NBA champions is one of the hardest challenges in sports. But the Warriors had done it before and they were supposed to have plenty working in their favor this year. They still had their core — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. They still had key role players like Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins. And they had ascendent young players ready to step up, like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman.
But injuries took their toll, Kuminga and Moody regressed at times and Wiseman was so ineffective he was traded in February to bring back Gary Payton II, who the Warriors were forced to let walk at the end of last season. In the end, they didn’t have enough to break through.
They’ll be back next year but they need to make some changes, to ensure they have the talent, depth and versatility to deal with a Western Conference field that could be as talented as ever.
These three Golden State Warriors definitely won’t be back:
3. Anthony Lamb
Lamb was one of the biggest surprises of the Warriors’ season, helping fill injury-related absences, stealing minutes from Moses Moody, appearing in 62 games and averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 36.7 percent from the floor. He was reliable as a 3-and-D contributor but completely disappeared from the playoff rotation. With an expiring contract, no apparent playoff utility and the lingering shadow of a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Vermont that includes rape accusations against him, the Warriors will likely let him move on.