Golden State Warriors
The Warriors franchise looks wildly different as the “Splash Brothers” Era comes to an end in Golden State. The group’s final season together ended unceremoniously in the play-in tournament with a loss to the Kings. Fortunately, the season was marked by an improvement in health and allowed younger players on the roster a chance to develop.
Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini and Director of Medical Services Drew Yoder dropped their injury total for the third straight season, logging their best finish since 2016. Team MVP Stephen Curry played 74 games, his highest total since the 2016-17 campaign, and Draymond Green missed even less time due to injury, missing just five games for health-related reasons. Gary Payton II remained the player most impacted by injury, missing 38 total games due to lower extremity strains.
The void left by Klay Thompson will be filled by multiple players with offseason additions like Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton available to pitch in if younger players like Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski struggle. Curry and Green remain the anchors of the team and will need to replicate last season’s health to keep Golden State relevant. On the plus side, Celebrini won’t have to worry about missing too much of his son’s rookie season in the NHL after Macklin Celebrini was taken number one overall by the nearby San Jose Sharks.
[…] winning at a record pace, the team has lost 87 games to injury so far, 16 more than they missed all last season. Rookie Kevon Looney made up a substantial portion of the total as he recovered from offseason […]
[…] problematic but there is reason to believe his ankle was a non-factor in the knee injury. To start, Golden State’s medical team is one of the most proactive teams in the league, using various degrees of injury analytics and […]
[…] Durant’s return could coincide with the eventual return of Thompson who will have his thumb fracture reexamined around the same time. The team is optimistic Curry will have already returned from an ankle sprain when the two are welcomed back. However, it will be interesting to see where Golden State sits in the standings when the All-Star trio is healthy. The team currently sits two games behind Houston for the top-seed in the Western Conference and could shift their focus to player health if the streaking Rockets widen that gap. The Warriors previous title runs have been fueled by sustained health, a factor that now suddenly lies in hands of the team’s highly respected medical staff. […]