Warriors: Bob Myers’ 3 keys to a bounce-back season in 2021

Golden State Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers identified three elements to ensure a bounce-back season.

The 2019-20 campaign was far from golden for the NBA’s Bay Area franchise, the Golden State Warriors.

After finishing the regular season at 15-50, good for the worst record in the association, the Warriors’ season officially came to an end last Thursday after the NBA approved their joint plan to conclude the season with a playoff tournament at Disney World in Florida.

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It seems as though the offseason could not have come at a better time for an organization that was ravaged by player injuries and dismantled by mid-season trades.

The months to come will be significant to a team aiming for a quick return to basketball prominence after so much recent glory.

Although the formula to reach the pinnacle of success in the eyes of team general manager Bob Myers might not be exactly what fans would normally expect.

Sure, the Warriors have the best odds of any team to land the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft lottery (a 14 percent chance, to be specific).

They’ll also have opportunities to explore upgrades via free agency and the trade market, as is standard protocol for teams during every offseason.

However, neither of those factors rank as highly as the ones the agent-turned GM listed on Monday.

What are the factors that Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers is focusing on?

Speaking with NBC Sports, Myers pinpointed time, health, and chemistry as the organization’s most necessary components for a bounce-back in 2021.

"“I think we need time,” Myers said. “We need health, and we need kind of a chemistry that can develop again. We need to insert a few other new guys into that group.”"

On those fronts, the Warriors certainly could use the extended time off to fully regain the health of their two superstar sharpshooters, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

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Both guards are the clear backbone of Golden State’s ability to succeed on the court and will have to resume their starting roles at pre-injury levels in order to help facilitate a reemergence next season.

They will also need to develop a chemistry, as Myers mentioned, with the team’s newer faces like Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall, and Marquese Chriss as well as any player personnel the team adds in the coming months.

Luckily, Myers believes this shouldn’t be a concern, as he’s confident that his current players haven’t lost their competitive spark and their drive to bring home another championship.

At the same time, he opined that the players would also have a greater appreciation for the nightly grind of regular-season basketball given their extra time off.

"“I don’t think the hunger ever left, but we were so good that the truth was that every regular season game didn’t hold the same value.And I think we’ll be able to get some of those things back, just competing on a nightly basis — wanting to taste the playoffs again, wanting to taste the type of feeling it is to be in contention for the championship.I think once you taste that, you want to do it again.”"

Boy, did Golden State love the taste of glory. In fact, so much so that they experienced it three times in five years between 2014 and 2019, creating a modern-day dynasty in the process. Surely, they’re looking to get back to that point in short order.

Myers made sure to emphasize again the importance of time, health, and chemistry in making that return to contention possible.

"“I do think we need a healthy offseason,” Myers said. “I do think we need ample time to come together and gel. I think that’s something that people that aren’t around the game as much don’t rate highly enough, the fact that it does take time to develop that type of cohesion and camaraderie. I think we need all that.”"

So there you have it, Warriors fans. The plan for a rebound in 2021 lies with three crucial factors (and an entire offseason of transactions, of course).

If the team can succeed in allowing all of Myers’ factors to play out favorably, it won’t be long before the Warriors will be back in position to reclaim their place among the best teams in the Western Conference, if not the entire NBA.