Stephen Jackson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs during the Western Conference Finals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Stephen Jackson knows a thing or two about leading the Golden State Warriors to prominence.
The 46-year-old – who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 – led the Warriors to arguably the biggest upset in postseason history when they knocked off the No. 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks as the No. 8 seed back in 2007. They became the first No. 8 seed to win in a best-of-seven series and it was the Warriors' first playoff win since 1991.
The 2024-25 Warriors may need similar luck if they hope to advance in the playoffs this year. The Warriors are coming off a playoff-less year – just the third time during the Steph Curry era since the 2012-13 season.
This year's Warriors aren't expected to be title contenders, and they're not even a shoo-in to make it into the playoffs. Jackson – who played for the Warriors from 2007 until 2009 – is blunt in his assessment of this year's Golden State team – they're not championship contenders.
"It's hard to go against Steph," says Jackson in a one-on-one interview with RG while speaking about the success of his podcast, All The Smoke. "He's made so many things happen, but he is getting older. I don't know what his supporting cast is going to be there. This is going to be new to a lot of people. I think he has put himself in a position where if it doesn't work, everything's on him – no Klay, no KD, everything's on him now. I think it's going to be a heavy load on him. Will they be the team they've been in the past? Absolutely not. I think they can make some noise, but I don't see them being a player for a championship this year."
Jackson follows up on his conclusion that the Warriors are not a title contender this year unless their offseason pickups – they brought in Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson – emerge.
"I just can't see it right now," Jackson says of the Warriors emerging as a potential title contender.
"If I see someone from their supporting cast and some of these new guys they signed, maybe things will change. But as of now, looking at this team before the season starts, there's no way I can see them contending for a championship."
Matt Barnes – who co-hosts All The Smoke with Jackson and also starred on the '07 Warriors team – gave a similar assessment of Golden State, arguing that the Western Conference is stacked with young and up-and-coming teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.
"I think the West is tough," says Barnes during the same interview. "The West is really a tough and young conference now, which is crazy when you look at Oklahoma City and how much better they got. You look at Minnesota, you look at Dallas. Denver is still right there, I'm looking for Houston to make a big jump this year, Sacramento has DeMar DeRozan. So I don't think it'll be an easy road. I think they'll have an opportunity – if the team stays pat with no other movement – I think they'll probably be in a play-in situation. But they also do have some young pieces. Some young talented pieces."
Barnes mentions how former first-round pick Jonathan Kuminga could be used as trade bait if he continues to play well and cannot agree to a new long-term contract with the Warriors. The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie deal this season.
Kuminga had a breakout season last year, averaging career highs across the board with 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 52.9% from the field.
However, the Warriors likely want more out of the former seventh overall pick as a complementary scoring option to Curry – especially following the departure of longtime star Klay Thompson. Thompson was traded to the Mavericks after winning four championships while spending all 13 years of his career in Golden State.
Curry remains at the top of his game, recently leading Team USA to another gold medal – it was his first during the Summer Olympics – while also leading the NBA in treys (357) for the eighth time in his storied career. That's not even mentioning how the 36-year-old guard played in 74 games, his highest total since the 2016-17 season. That's a good sign for a star who is getting older and has a history of dealing with ankle and leg injuries. Curry missed 184 of a possible 492 games between the 2017-18 and 2022-23 seasons – 37.3% of games played during that time frame.
The two-time MVP starred with the 39-year-old LeBron James to lead Team USA to their latest Olympic gold medal. The idea of the two aging stars teaming up to chase one last ring – which would be their fifth title each – was pitched as a possible scenario following their display over the summer. Jackson believes it's a logical scenario – but believes it could only happen in Golden State if James leaves the Los Angeles Lakers for the Warriors.
"Anything is possible," says Jackson of a possible Curry-James pairing. "I think Steph has hinted a couple times that he wouldn't mind going somewhere else to play and we know LeBron moves around. I think anything is possible. Guys want to win, guys don't mind teaming up. But I think if anything happened like that, I think somebody will go to Golden State. I don't think Steph will leave."
DJ Siddiqi
