Though the Golden State Warriors have struggled this season, Steph Curry believes the core of him, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will still retire as Warriors.
In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Curry discussed his desire to remain with the team and the confidence he has that Thompson and Green will stay with the Warriors as well.
“That’s always been a motivator for us,” Curry said (2:44 mark). “I think the way that we talk about it is, we want to not only end our career as a Warrior, we want to continue to compete at a very high very level. But you want to end it the right way.”
Curry didn’t shy away from the fact that the Warriors’ core has faced some hardship this year, but he still has confidence that Golden State can turn things around and continue competing at a high level.
“We’ve been through a lot this year, the three of us,” Curry said. “Especially with Draymond’s absence for a while, with Klay taking on a new role, the new cast of characters that we have that are right alongside in this journey. I think it’s extremely possible to accomplish both. We just have to protect the identity of who we are the best we can and I think we’re moving in that right direction.”
The Warriors are not in the position they would like to be, sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference at 27-26, but they are still well within the playoff race with plenty of the season left to play. Golden State went into the All-Star break on a positive note, winning six of its last seven games.
Curry has remained the anchor for the Warriors, putting up 28 points per game and putting on big performances in big moments, like his game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns earlier in February, but his co-stars have taken a dip this season.
Thompson is averaging 17.3 points per game—his lowest mark since his second year in the NBA—and was benched in favor of rookie Brandin Podziemski ahead of the All-Star break. The new role could be exactly what he needs though, as Thompson put up 35 points off the bench in that game.
Green missing 12 games didn’t help the Warriors’ struggles, but he has been productive since rejoining the team. He will look to continue being Golden State’s defensive anchor as he has been his entire career.
With 29 games left in the season, the Warriors core is looking for a second-half push to will the team into the playoffs.
