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The Golden State Warriors built a dynasty from 2015-19. In an interview, former Warriors forward David West recently revealed details of what went on in the locker room during that Warriors run.
As stated by the ex-Warrior, having quite a few egos on the same team ended up being quite difficult during their years on top, especially difficult on the ego of All-Star Stephen Curry.
Warriors’ Dynasty Had Major Egos
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The Warriors potentially had one of the greatest starting five lineups of all time. With a stacked roster that included Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green all wearing the same jersey, head coach Steve Kerr experienced some battles trying to rein in the egos of all of these superstars.
Apparently, it wasn’t paradise behind the scenes of this Warriors’ dynasty. According to West, it was definitely Curry’s team before Durant became a Warrior. The All-Star point guard had to make a lot of sacrifices for the betterment of the team, or in other words, to please the team’s newest addition.
West went into detail about this on the Real Ones podcast at The Ringer.
So Steph was the one making the most sacrifices and I’m like, ‘Yo, the f*** you doing? You gotta do what you know, man.’ I would say that to him some nights and he’d look at me. Because I don’t think anybody would tell him, like, ‘Yo, you trippin’. You can’t pass that one, dog.
It’s hard when you’re dealing with those super-talented guys. Ego is a part of this thing. Ego is a big deal, but it’s everybody. You’ve got literally five Hall of Fame guys on the same d*** team.
What was so weird about the 2017-18 Warriors? @loganmmurdock and @Bell19Raja ask @D_West30 about it on #RealOnes.
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Curry’s sacrifices did boost the team’s success, certainly after Durant joined the roster. Curry went from taking 20.2 shots per game before Durant arrived to 18.3 shots the following season (2016-17). His scoring average dropped from a league-high 30.1 points to 25.3 on Durant’s arrival.
Disruption of the Dynamic
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The Warriors had already gotten one title before KD joined the roster during the offseason back in 2016. The addition of Durant to Golden State disrupted the dynamic of what seemed like a balanced team. But winning masks issues within the team that spectators don’t see.
“The talent is only so much,” West said. “We were able to win it. But winning it and trying to get that energy, everybody’s a year older, it was a bit tougher. But we still had enough.”
West played with the Warriors from 2016-18. Certainly, he was no longer the same All-Star forward that he once was by the time he made his way to the Warriors’ roster but he was still a key component of the Warriors’ second unit during their most recent dynasty. West averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in two seasons with Golden State, retiring after his second year there.
Durant is not with the Warriors anymore, so the team has become Curry’s once again, maybe even more than he would like. His backcourt partner, Thompson, is still out as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. Despite that, the Warriors, at 19-16, are eighth in the conference.
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