Rational discussion: In the new season, what level is the Warriors rotation lineup in the Western Conference?

When the Golden State Warriors' training hall lights up for the preparation for the new season, there are only 18 days left before the regular season opening. The core framework of Curry, 37 years old, Butler, 36 years old, 35 years old, and Horford, is standing before the last two years of championship win window with Curry as the absolute core. The 14-player deep rotation created during the offseason not only carries the hope of the dynasty's continuation, but also faces the hunting of the heroes in the west. What level is this team with an average age but star-studded team at the Wild West in the new season?

The ups and downs of last season laid the groundwork for the Warriors' blueprint for the championship. The 12-3 wins and 3 losses at the beginning of the season was suddenly interrupted by Melton's season reimbursement. The absence of the 3D defender caused a crack in the Warriors' offensive and defensive system. Schroder's brief joining failed to fill the vacancy, and the team once fell to a trough of 15-15 losses. It was not until the trading deadline in February 2025 that the Warriors sent out chips such as Wiggins, Li Kaile and others for Butler and completed the contract renewal, and that they ushered in a turning point. After introducing Butler, the Warriors won 23 wins and 7 losses in the second half of the regular season, with a winning rate of 76.6%, their offensive efficiency jumped from 18th to 4th, and their defensive efficiency rose from 10th to top the league. The Rockets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, and the performance of leading the Timberwolves 1-0 before Curry was injured in the second round completely proved the feasibility of Curry + Butler's dual-core drive mode. The precise operation of the offseason allows the Warriors to make up for their shortcomings while retaining their core competitiveness. Due to the top 10 protection first-round picks given by Butler in the trade (eventually converted to the No. 20 sign to the Heat), the Warriors focused their drafts on the second round. Although Tuxi, who was selected with the No. 52 pick, performed poorly in Summer United (26.2% shooting percentage), 3D guard Richard won the No. 56 sign, has been recognized for four years in contract, showing long-term investment value. More importantly, the management solved the issue of Kumingga's contract renewal. The two-year contract of 48.5 million (the team option for the second year) retained the young combat power, while the introduction of Horford, Payton Jr., Curry Jr. and Melton are targeted reinforcements. As a space insider, Horford perfectly adapts to the Warriors system with his NBA center playoff three-pointer (198 records), and his support and defensive ability fill the inside shortcomings; Melton, who "buys back", has proved his 3D attributes and Curry's adaptability last season; Payton's pick-and-roll and defensive resilience are still the key to the connection stage; Curry, who has a career three-point shooting percentage of 43.3% and topped the league with 45.6% last season, provided a fatal empty end point for dual-core attracting pinched attacks. With the players such as Moody and Hilde who stayed in the team, the Warriors have built a 14-player rotation covering the inside line (4 people including Horford and Zhu Mengming), the forward line (5 people including Butler and Kumingga), and the back line (5 people including Curry, Curry and Curry Jr.), and each position has a puzzle with clear functions. The advantages of this lineup are extremely prominent on paper. The dual-core driver has completely gotten rid of "Curry's dependence". Butler's attack and mental attributes complement Curry's projection deterrence. Last season, the latter's average of 28.5 points and 41.5% three-point shooting percentage per game was still at its peak. The depth of the 14-man rotation is enough to deal with the long schedule of the regular season, especially to provide buffering for the elderly core. The average age of the four major starters is 36.75 years old and the total age is 179 years old. Although the lineup is ridiculed as a "Golden State Nursing Home", the sufficient substitutes can allow Kerr to reasonably allocate the main playing time. Referring to the 2014 Spurs' "regular season charging" model, it may be able to avoid physical crises. More importantly, the accumulation of championship culture, Curry's playoff experience and Butler's key ball ability give the team a mentality advantage that young teams cannot reach in high-pressure scenarios.

But hidden dangers are also like shadows. Age and injury are the biggest weaknesses. Curry is absent from 15 games per year in the past three years. Horford and Butler both have old injuries. The Western Conference averaged 99+ rounds more per game far exceeds the Warriors' "Five Deaths" era. The fast-paced defense and physical fitness problems of the middle-aged and senior lineup may be infinitely magnified. The inside rift protection is still a shortcoming. The scene where 58 rebounds were suppressed against the Timberwolves last season exposed the shortcomings of the combination of Zhu Meng and Horford in rebounding protection. In addition, the problem of the bench scoring ability once ranked 26th in the league has not been completely solved. If the main force has a firepower fault during the rest, it may become a breakthrough point for the opponent to target.

In the western competitive landscape, the Warriors' positioning is clearly at the position of "the second-tier leader and the first-tier challenger". The first tier team composed of the Thunder, Nuggets and Clippers is strong: the Thunder locks in young cores such as Alexander and Homgren for US$822 million. The lineup is stable and in an upward period. The pass-and-cut system averaged 31.2 assists per game last season is extremely lethal. The Nuggets obtained Cameron Johnson and Valanciunas through trades to make up for Jokic’s substitute and space shortcomings, and the dominance of the core lineup remains the same; the Clippers have Harden and Leonard’s dual cores, and their defensive efficiency ranks third in the league, and their offense and defense balance is extremely strong in their healthy state.

Compared with the first echelon, the Warriors have superior experience and key ball ability, but their physical fitness and lineup vitality are at a disadvantage. When facing the Thunder, the Warriors' slow-paced positional battle may limit the opponent's fast attack, but facing Alexander's impact, Dream Chasing and Horford's lateral movement speed will face a test; when facing the Nuggets, Horford's outside projection can open up space, but Jokic's low-post dominance is still unsolvable; when encountering the Clippers, both sides have core and hidden dangers of injury, and the competition will be health management and on-site adjustments.

In the second tier of Timberwolves and Lakers, the Warriors have obvious advantages. Although the Timberwolves renewed their contract with Hyland to strengthen the rotation, the core shortcomings of lacking the second ball holding point have not been resolved, and it is difficult to match the Warriors' dual-core strength; although the Lakers formed a combination of Doncic and James, the backcourt defense loopholes and internal running-in problems are prominent, and their stability is far less than that of the Warriors.. US media predicts that the Warriors will rank sixth in the Western Conference with 48 wins and 34 losses in the new season, which just reflects the reality of its "second-tier leading" - it can not only avoid direct dialogue with the Thunder and the Nuggets in the first round, but also have the potential to be below the playoffs.

For the Warriors, the success or failure of the new season will depend on the triple test of "health + rhythm control + role player performance". If they can maintain core health through scientific rest, with the support of Horford and Dream Chasing, they will drag the game into the half-court positional battle, and at the same time activate the shooting firepower of players such as Hilder and Richard, they will be able to break through the expectations of sixth in the Western Conference and even hit higher rankings. The strong rebound after introducing Butler last season has proved that as long as this core lineup remains healthy, it can release championship-level combat power. The countdown for the two-year window period has started, and Curry’s contract with Butler will expire in 2027, which means that the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons are the Warriors’ final sprint with Curry as the core. The depth of the 14-person rotation provides confidence, the adaptability of the dual-core lays the foundation, and the cruel competition in the West adds variables. Perhaps this "old legion" is difficult to replicate the grand occasion of the dynasty in 2015, but as Curry's legendary resume shows that a champion's heart can never be underestimated. In the Western Conference arena in the new season, the Warriors will write their final prelude in the double test of time and strong enemies with the attitude of a challenger.