How Many Games will the 2014-2015 Golden State Warriors Win?

By Chirag Jhatakia | Sep 26, 2014

With the Warriors regular season opener only slightly more than a month away, it is officially time to start pondering about the NBA regular season. Among the questions that come to mind is how the Warriors will fare in the upcoming 2014-2015 season. Before we can rationally gauge how many wins the Dubs will rack up, let’s analyze certain aspects of the team.

Head Coach Change

At the forefront of the Warriors’ season is the head coaching change obviously. The Warriors infamously fired Mark Jackson after falling to the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs last season. The team responded by handing the coaching reigns over to Steve Kerr.

Steve Kerr lacks veritable coaching experience in the NBA, but has a keen basketball mind. His ability to diagram effective plays and utilize tactical advantages of the Golden State Warriors’ roster is something they were missing the last few seasons. The Warriors will surely benefit in the crunch time of games because of this and churn out an extra win or two.

Mark Jackson was definitely a player’s coach and well liked by his team. It is unclear how Steve Kerr will assimilate and how long it will take the players to buy into his philosophy. I anticipate there may be some early growing pains, but ultimately there will be solidarity after they record some victories.

Health of the Starting Five

The starting five of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee and Andrew Bogut is the same core as at the start of last season. Thus, the nucleus of the Warriors was kept intact despite a sea of Kevin Love trade rumors. The Warriors had among the best records in the NBA when those five starters played collectively together last season.

Stability is a prerequisite for any team’s success in the NBA. Just ask the San Antonio Spurs.

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When the Warriors’ starting five is healthy, this team is very dangerous. These five exhibit good team chemistry, a willingness to share the basketball, and play both ends of the floor. If the Golden State Warriors are able to keep Bogut, Curry, and Iguodala off the trainer’s table for an appreciable time, the team will experience marked success.

Contribution from New, Reserve Guards

The bench is drastically different from just a year ago. Subtracting Steve Blake and Jordan Crawford from the ledger hurts since these veterans made big contributions last season. Blake was an adequate floor general and Crawford had a propensity for creating his own shots off the bench.

Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush, Leandro Barbosa now enter the fray. It is imperative for these guards to perform in order for Steve Kerr to give rest to Curry and Thompson they desperately need and deserve.

Livingston is able to handle the rock and get his teammates involved, but has never been known for his outside shot. Rush is an excellent shooter, and the Warriors saw him firsthand shoot a stellar 50% from the field and 45% behind the arc during the 2012-2013 season. Barbosa can bring energy and score in bunches, similar to Nate Robinson.

Performance of Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green

Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green truly dictate the Warriors ceiling and constitute X-factors. If Barnes and Green play like each did in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 playoffs respectively, the Warriors can be a top-four seed in the West. Consistency has been an issue with both players, particularly with Barnes regressing greatly least season.

The Golden State Warriors need Harrison Barnes to play the game confidently and instinctively. Too many times Barnes comes out very mechanical and trying to be too perfect and not letting the game come to him. Barnes is at his best when he is decisive with his first move and drives to the basket.

If Draymond Green can become a bit more consistent with his jumper (40.7% field goal percentage last season) and 3-point shot (33% last season), it would create yet another outside threat for the team and a match-up nightmare for opposing 4’s. His play against the Clippers in the playoffs last season flashed his gaudy potential.

Season Prediction: 53-29, 5th Seed in Western Conference

I believe the Warriors will improve on their win total from a year ago (51) and excel in Steve Kerr’s first season. The Western Conference is loaded as usual, but I foresee the Warriors fighting for a 4th or 5th seed. We are only a month away from seeing the opening act of the Splash Brothers at the raucous confines of Oracle Arena.

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