Golden State Warriors: Veteran Leadership
The Golden State Warriors are not a young team per se. Their average age is 26.5, just below the league average of 26.9 and nowhere near the college-aged Philadelphia 76ers whose average age is just 22.9, per Basketball-Reference.com.
More from Golden State Warriors
- Grade the Trade: Warriors become title-favs in proposed deal with Raptors
- 5 NBA players everyone should be keeping a close eye on in 2023-24
- New detail about title-costing mistake reopens old wounds for Warriors
- 5 NBA players facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons
- 7 Harsh realities of the Golden State Warriors offseason
However, their top four players in minutes per game are all 26 or under. Stephen Curry (26), Klay Thompson (24), Draymond Green (24) and Harrison Barnes (22) would mostly likely be seen as the Warriors core going into the future. All four of those players could still be playing for the Warriors—or at least in the NBA—10 years from now.
The young guys haven’t done it on their own though. Three key veterans have played important roles in setting the team’s culture and attitude. They have each sacrificed individually for the sake of the team and enabled the younger players to blossom.
Their selfless approach has rubbed off and set the tone for the season. It’s one of the reasons the Warriors have been so successful and fun to watch.
Talent alone doesn’t lead the league in assists per game 27.2, points per game 110.8, best defensive rating 97.1 and point differential 11.2, per NBA.com. Even with the Atlanta Hawks current streak, the Warriors point differential is 3.9 higher than the Hawks 7.3 per game.
David Lee, Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut have combined on-court production with off-court example. No current player on the Warriors has won an NBA championship. Lee, Iguodala and Bogut—along with their teammates—are trying to change that.
Next: David Lee