4 bold predictions for the Warriors 2024-25 NBA season

With a 132-74 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers this past Friday night, the Golden State Warriors finished the preseason a perfect 6-0.

Preseason records obviously don't mean a thing once the regular season begins. But Steve Kerr has to be pleased with what he's seen from this new-look Warriors roster heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign.

While there are still plenty of familiar faces alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in the Golden State locker room, Klay Thompson is no longer one of them, as he's now a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Also gone is Chris Paul, who's now with the San Antonio Spurs after the Warriors opted to release him after just one season instead of shelling out the $30 million it would have taken to bring him back. Dario Saric (Denver Nuggets) and Lester Quinones (Philadelphia 76ers) are also playing elsewhere this season.

The Warriors' front office did a fantastic job offsetting these losses, adding the likes of Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, and Lindy Waters III. And, overall, Kerr now has a deeper roster than he did a season ago and may actually have too many players from which to choose for his rotation heading into the Warriors' regular-season opener this Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, which is a nice problem to have.

So, how will these new-look Warriors fare this season in what should again be a loaded Western Conference? Let's get into it, shall we?

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy.

The Warriors will return to the NBA Playoffs with a 50-win season

Despite going 46-36 last season, the Warriors finished just 10th in the West and saw their campaign come to a close with a loss to the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings in the Play-In Tournament.

But we're predicting that Golden State won't need to rely on the Play-In Tournament to get into the NBA Playoffs next spring. The Warriors will have a tough time winning the Pacific Division, as the Phoenix Suns are the clear favorites there.

And the Kings and maybe even the Lakers will have something to say. But with this deep roster, the Dubs should reach the 50-win mark for the first time since the 2021-22 season. And one would think that'll be enough to avoid the tourney.

Curry will do what Curry does. And even without Thompson, the Warriors have plenty of players who can pick up the scoring slack left by his departure. As Golden State does, this team will shoot a lot of threes throughout the season, both in the set offense and in transition. But they're going to score more in the paint than people might expect. And let's get real. There are going to be off nights from beyond the arc, so the Warriors will need to have an inside presence.

Green hasn't been a big scoring threat in quite some time, but he'll still put up a few points in the paint here and there. And Trayce Jackson-Davis will add a few as well. Andrew Wiggins will need to have a bounce-back campaign, and attacking the rim will help, as his outside shooting has weakened over the past few years.

But the Warriors' best scoring option in the paint — and perhaps their best overall option not named Stephen Curry — will be Jonathan Kuminga, who seems primed for a true breakout season.

Jonathan Kuminga will be an NBA All-Star

A season ago, Jonathan Kuminga was the Warriors third-leading scorer behind only Curry and Thompson, averaging a career-high 16.1 points per game while shooting a career-best 52.9 percent from the floor.

We're calling for those numbers to be even better in 2024-25. And not only that, we're calling for the Congolese sensation to earn his first trip to the NBA All-Star Game.

Kuminga's perimeter shooting looked vastly improved during the preseason, as he shot 44 percent from the 3-point line, far better than his career average of 34.1 percent. But he'll still need to do the bulk of his damage down low, which he certainly did against the Lakers in the preseason finale, scoring a dozen first-half points without making a single outside shot.

There are still some concerns with his defense and his rebounding, but Kuminga looked outstanding from an overall standpoint in the preseason, averaging 13.7 points on 54.5 percent shooting and adding 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in just 21.3 minutes per game.

Several different players will end up being the team's second-leading scorer in games behind Curry throughout the season, but Kuminga will be that guy more than any other.

Buddy Hield will win NBA Sixth Man of the Year

Another guy who will take that No. 2 slot from time to time is new addition Buddy Hield. And don't be surprised if he takes the No. 1 spot on occasion.

While Hield may occasionally crack the starting lineup, Brandin Podziemski will get the bulk of the starts at the No. 2 spot. But make no mistake about it; Hield will play hefty minutes and will be relied upon to pick up plenty of the scoring slack when Curry needs a rest.

And he's going to make the most of those minutes. In fact, we're of the belief that he'll have such a good season that he'll win NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

Like most players on the roster, Hield had a fantastic preseason, averaging 12.2 points in 17.2 minutes per game, shooting 51.9 percent from the field and a strong 48.7 percent from the 3-point line. Since entering the league in 2016, the Oklahoma alum has made 1,924 triples, second only to the 2,154 made by Curry in that span. And he'll put up plenty in this offense, which fits his game beautifully.

Hield will face some stiff competition in the Sixth Man of the Year race, with the likes of reigning winner Naz Reid, Malik Monk, Donte DiVincenzo, and Caris LeVert all in the mix. But we like his chances.

Stephen Curry will crack the top 25 on the NBA's all-time scoring list

You can't have a Warriors season preview of sorts without adding a section on Steph Curry, so this is where we'll end things.

Entering this season, the two-time NBA MVP has recorded 23,668 career regular-season points. Taking both NBA and ABA numbers into account, Curry ranks 35th all-time. Taking only the NBA into account, he ranks 30th. But no matter which list you want to use, we're predicting that he'll be in the top 25 on both at season's end.

Things will be easier on the NBA-only list, as he needs just 1,525 points to surpass the great Jerry West. The only time Curry has failed to reach that number in the last six seasons was in 2019-20 when he only appeared in five games. So, he should be a lock here.

The NBA/ABA list will be a bit tougher, as he needs 1,946 points to surpass Denver Nuggets legend Alex English. Curry scored 1,956 points a season ago in 74 games. Assuming he stays healthy, we think he can hit that number yet again and jump into the top 25.

So there you have it, folks. As mentioned, the Warriors will kick off their 2024-25 season on Wednesday in Portland against the Blazers.