Golden State Warriors Roster: SWOT analysis of Steph Curry & Co. heading into the 2019-20 season

The Golden State Warriors had a rough season. They were hoping for a three-peat but instead were defeated by the strong Toronto side featuring Kawhi Leonard. The team needs some serious rebuilding if they want to win the NBA Title again.

This summer brought the biggest change to the Golden State Warriors, the team which made five consecutive NBA Finals and broke many records is not looking the same anymore. Many people believe that they could miss the playoffs this year. The main reason for that is the two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant leaving for the Brooklyn Nets and one half of the Splash Brothers Klay Thompson getting injured (it is believed that he won't be able to return before February or March from torn ACL Injury).

The Warriors signed D'Angelo Russell but also lost some important players like Andre Iguodala and DeMarcus Cousins. Will they bounce back from all these setbacks or will they finish even more poorly?

Without further ado, let's take a look at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the Golden State Warriors heading into next season.

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Strengths

The Golden State Warriors lost Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets but they executed a fantastic sign-and-trade for Brooklyn’s star guard D’Angelo Russell. He seems to match the Warriors’ style of offense. Russell could be the player GSW need and could form a phenomenal attacking trio with Curry and Thompson. He is just 23 years old and a young talent the Warriors need for the future. Last season, he averaged 21 points, 7 assists per game and shot 36.9% from beyond the arc.

Warriors also managed to sign their sharpshooter Klay Thompson on a five-year, $190 million max deal. He won't be able to play for the majority of the season, but will surely play an important part in the final few matches. Klay is expected to return around the All-Star break.

Stephen Curry is likely to step up his game and turn on MVP mode. Curry played a supporting role to Durant for the past three seasons, but before his arrival, Steph was a two-time NBA MVP. It is now his turn to lead the team to more NBA Titles. The team signed many new players and have good depth.

Weaknesses

It seems like the era of invincibility is over for the Warriors. Their key players are not with them anymore and Thompson is out injured for more than half of the season. It looks like a bumpy ride is on the cards for the team. Durant left a big hole in the team which won't be easily filled.

Warriors will be starting with a young and inexperienced squad which can prove costly if star players Curry or Green get injured. They signed former Detroit Pistons player Glenn Robinson III, Willie Cauley-Stein and Alec Burks. Signing D'Angelo Russell was a smart move, but he will take some time to adjust to the team.

Defense is another problem for Golden State, as they traded Andre Iguodala to Memphis. Iggy was named 2015 Finals MVP and was a key player and a leader, without him the team could suffer on the defensive end. Durant's loss hurts on both the ends of the court as he was not only a powerful scorer but also a good defender and rim protector. No KD and Iguodala means they are short on small forward position.

Most of their supporting and veteran players also left including Quinn Cook and four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, both of whom have joined the Lakers while Shaun Livingston was waived.

Opportunities

The Warriors might not look as strong as before on paper but they possess a strong squad. Even before Durant's arrival, GSW were a very strong team, they made the record for most wins in the regular season and won the 2015 NBA Finals.

There are many opportunities for the Warriors, as most of the teams are balanced and have a maximum of two or three All-Stars. Golden State could easily form a deadly trio of Steph Curry, D'Angelo and Draymond Green and the return of Thompson could make them unstoppable.

Curry alone is a very skilled and dominant player, his performances this postseason were nothing short of phenomenal as Durant and Thompson were injured. With a little bit of help from his new teammates, he could make the Warriors championship contenders again. Steve Kerr and GM Bob Myers have a plan moving forward to fortify the franchise with a young core.

Threats

The biggest threat for the Warriors will be strong teams in the Western Conference. The division is stacked and the teams look pretty evenly matched.

Golden State will face some stiff competition from the Lakers, who went on a complete overhaul and signed some strong players like Anthony Davis and former GSW star DeMarcus Cousins. Another team from Los Angeles, the LA Clippers are strong contenders after signing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and All-Star Paul George.

Addition of former Oklahoma star and 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook makes Houston Rockets another dangerous team and they already have James Harden who led the Rockets to the playoffs by himself. Warriors eliminated Houston in the last two years but now with Westbrook, H-Town will be looking for some redemption.

Thus, the Warriors roster will be under excruciating pressure to perform at 100% capacity next season, something they haven't needed to do quite often in the last few seasons.