The Golden State Warriors just got a sneak peak at their future.
And a future without Stephen Curry isn’t a pretty one.
Curry sat out the final four and a half games of the Warriors’ second-round playoff series against the Timberwolves. And after a surprising Game 1 win, Golden State could never muster enough scoring to threaten Minnesota.
The all-time great guard will be back next season, in which he’ll turn 38 years old. The Warriors must recognize now how short they are on time, and what things will look like when he’s gone.
For more than a decade, Golden State has revolved around Curry, like the sun. His on-court gravity and brilliance make everything work around him.
When Curry isn’t out there, it all has a tendency to fall apart.
MORE: Luke Kornet just made Kristaps Porzingis irrelevant with shot-blocking masterpiece
Curry hasn’t given any indication of when he might step away from the game. He certainly won’t want this time on the bench to be the final lasting memory of him.
But that time is coming, and Golden State’s timeline of contention is running short.
The Warriors might not even keep Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, which would complicate things further, given that he was one of the guys expected to be a bridge to the next era.
Golden State might make one or two more win-now moves this offseason to try to partner with Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. That’s fine to give Curry one last run at it.
But when Curry does decide to hang his sneakers up, the Warriors may never come close to an era like this ever again. Without Curry, they simply aren’t enough.
MORE: Anthony Edwards joins Kobe, MJ on historic list
