Are the Golden State Warriors championship contenders heading into the 2024-25 NBA playoffs? With a bold midseason trade for Jimmy Butler III, Golden State looks like a brand-new squad. Butler now joins Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, forming a dangerous trio with plenty of experience and postseason toughness. Butler’s elite two-way play helps take pressure off the aging Warriors core — but questions still linger.
Their recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs sparked discussion among analysts, including longtime ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, who weighed in on Golden State’s playoff chances and their biggest flaw.
Draymond Green Continues To Play as the Golden State Warriors’ Center
The Warriors may be rolling out the smallest lineup of any playoff contender. Their primary rotation includes Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Butler, Moses Moody, and Green — meaning Green, listed at 6’6″, is often tasked with guarding opposing bigs.
Green remains one of the league’s top defenders and could even make a case for Defensive Player of the Year. But going up against taller centers night after night is a heavy ask, especially deep into the playoffs. After the loss to San Antonio on April 9, Windhorst raised concerns about how sustainable this approach is.
“I agree with you that the difference between the two and the eighth seed in the West is negligible, that all of those teams think they can beat each other, and all of those teams have flaws that allow for them to be beaten. Clearly, the Warriors are flawed. Look what happened last night,” Windhorst said.
"Clearly the Warriors are flawed, look what happened last night." 😬 @WindhorstESPN on how Golden State's 114-111 loss to the Spurs could affect their playoff fate in the West 👀 pic.twitter.com/AaeWXoOwzV
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 10, 2025
“But the way the Warriors are going to try to pull this off. They’re gonna try to play with a very small lineup, and I just think that what you’re gonna ask this team to do, to make a long playoff run, what you’re gonna ask Draymond Green to do, guard bigger players, play with a lot of energy I think it’s gonna be energy sapping for them, and so I think they need to be doing the opposite,” Windhorst said.
As things stand, the Warriors now hold the seventh spot in the West. Their final two games of the season are against the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. These are essentially must-win games for the team.
Even if they are able to avoid the play-in tournament and make it to the playoffs, one must wonder if playing Green at the center position is a sustainable move. The Warriors have Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis on their roster, both taller than Green.
Perhaps Looney and Jackson-Davis will be entrusted with guarding the tallest players when Green is unable to; Looney was an integral part of Golden State’s last championship run, after all. Fans are watching closely to see how, or if, Steve Kerr adjusts the rotation heading into the postseason.