The Numbers That Explain This Warriors Roster Before a Game Is Played
Four figures — a payroll line, a -0.5 net rating, one 38-year-old's scoring average and a lineup sample too small to trust — tell the real story of where Golden State stands.
Golden State opens camp at 0-0, with a spreadsheet that already reads like a middle-of-the-pack team living above the tax line. The clearest numbers on hand come from last season, and together they describe a roster leaning on its oldest players while the newest additions are still auditioning.
$223.3 million, above the harshest tax threshold
Golden State's payroll sits at 223.3 million dollars across 17 contracts, past the 200.4 million dollar luxury tax line and over the toughest penalty line in the current system. That number is a hard financial fact: every roster move this month has to clear it. It does not say anything about who starts in October or how the group defends in the fourth quarter — a balance sheet cannot answer those questions.
37-45, a net rating of -0.5
Last season Golden State finished 37-45, with a net rating of -0.5 that ranked 20th of 30 teams, below average on both ends. That record is the most complete number available on this group, more informative than any single game. It does not measure what Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis missing large chunks of that season cost the team, or promise anything about health this time around.
26.6 points a game, at 38
Stephen Curry led Golden State in scoring last season at 26.6 points a game over 43 outings, production that has not slowed with age. That figure says the shooting still carries a team. It does not say how the group performs when he sits, or whether a supporting cast still finding its shape can lighten that load once games count.
+16.9 net rating, in 65 minutes
The five-man group of Curry, Podziemski, Green, Kuminga and Butler posted a net rating of +16.9 last season, built on an offense scoring 119.7 points per hundred possessions. Eight games and 65 minutes is a promising sample, not a proven one. Small samples swing hard in both directions, and this look has to hold up over months, not a handful of nights, before it means more than a good stretch.
Are the Warriors over the luxury tax?
Yes. Golden State's payroll is 223.3 million dollars, above both the 200.4 million dollar tax line and the toughest penalty threshold above it.
Has Stephen Curry's scoring dropped with age?
Not based on last season's numbers. He led Golden State in scoring at 26.6 points a game over 43 games at age 38.
