Kurtenbach: Do the Warriors really think they can load manage their way to the playoffs?
Without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, the Warriors fell to the Kings on Wednesday. If you squinted at the box score from Sacramento, you could almost convince yourself it was a decent effort. The Warriors, rolling out a roster that looked more like a G-League squad, managed to keep pace with the also short-handed Kings until the final minute.
Rookie Will Richard impressed with 30 points, while Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga added 28 and 24. Still, moral victories don’t count in the highly competitive Western Conference. If the 2025–26 Warriors are already celebrating close losses, something feels off.
“We’ve seen the Warriors when they are humming. Curry and Butler play like their MVP-caliber selves, Green and Al Horford run the defense like they own the patent.”
When the roster is clicking, the Warriors can challenge anyone. But that level of play has been rare — about as often as TikTok’s algorithm serving up a genuinely useful video. Last week, they sleepwalked through defeats to the Pacers and Bucks, both winnable games. Then came Wednesday’s back-to-back, effectively tossed away against Sacramento.
Author’s Summary
The Warriors’ inconsistent effort and reliance on rest strategies hint at deeper issues that could derail their playoff ambitions in the 2025–26 season.