Getty Stephen Curry #30 listens to Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The aging Golden State Warriors are no longer considered as one of the title favorites.
Their title odds dropped considerably in the annual NBA GM survey even after trading for 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul in the offseason.
Defending champion Denver Nuggets and the revamped Boston Celtics are tied as the title favorites, drawing 33% of the GM’s votes each, followed by Milwaukee Bucks (23%), Phoenix Suns (7%) and Los Angeles Clippers (3%).
The Warriors, who drew the second-highest votes (25%) from the NBA GMs last year, were nowhere to be found in the top five. They were relegated as the projected fourth seed in the Western Conference, garnering 11% votes, 4% behind last season’s tormentor Los Angeles Lakers (15%).
Stephen Curry No Longer MVP-Caliber but Remains Best PG
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry also fell out of the MVP favorites this time after placing fourth among the GMs’ votes before last season.
However, Curry maintained his top position in several categories: the league’s best point guard, the best player at moving without the ball, the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments, the best pure shooter, and the player you would want taking a shot with the game on the line.
He was also voted second-best shooting guard (10%) behind Phoenix’s Devin Booker (63%). Curry will play shooting guard whenever he shares the court with Paul this season.
Paul and Curry started at the Warriors backcourt in their 125-108 preseason-opening win over the Lakers on October 7. They made the most out of their limited playing time. Paul finished with six points, five assists and four rebounds, while Curry had eight points, three steals, two boards and one dime.
Paul’s acquisition placed third in the most surprising move of the offseason category. The heady point guard was the top choice for the active player who will make the best head coach someday. He also ranked third as the best player with a high basketball IQ behind Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. Paul was also tied with Damian Lillard for fourth in the best leader category.
Other Warriors in NBA GM Survey
Rookie Brandin Podziemski finished fifth in the biggest draft steal category.
Draymond Green was tied with Memphis’ new acquisition Marcus Smart for third-best defensive player in the league. The Warriors’ small-ball center was tied with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis as the fourth-best interior defender in the NBA. He placed second behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo as the most versatile defender.
Steve Kerr was tied with San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich as the third-best NBA coach behind Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra and Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue. Kerr placed second in two categories: best motivator behind Spoelstra and best offensive coach behind Sacramento Kings’ Mike Brown. He also received votes for the coach who makes the best in-game adjustments.
Kerr’s deputies, Kenny Atkinson and Chris DeMarco, received votes in the best assistant coach category, topped by Kings’ Jordi Fernandez.
The Warriors placed second behind the Nuggets in the most fun-to-watch team and the team with the best homecourt advantage categories. They also drew the third-highest votes in which team will have the league’s most efficient offense this season.