Outside of Steph, the Warriors’ NBA All-Star future looks hazy originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Not long before they became the biggest bully in the NBA, the Warriors went on one of the league’s meanest streaks, one that extended even beyond their humiliating 13-year playoff drought.
Golden State went a league-record 15 years without an All-Star. No starter, no reserve, no representation in the game.
When the Warriors finally broke that slump, they did so with a vengeance. Since David Lee’s back-to-back selection in 2013 – their first since Latrell Sprewell in 1997 – only once, in the lost 2019-20 season, have they been eliminated from the February extravaganza.
A look at the current roster makes one imagine there could be more lockouts once Stephen Curry leaves the room.
The 2025 All-Star game will be played at Chase Center next on February 16 and the only Warrior guaranteed to participate is, health permitting, Curry. He was the team’s only representative in each of the last two seasons. The days of the Warriors dominating the All-Star roster, with multiple players in five consecutive games — twice sending four players — are over.
Curry, a 10-time All-Star turns 37 next season. Draymond Green, a four-time All-Star, turns 35. Andrew Wiggins, a one-time All-Star, turns 30. No one else on the roster played a second in the game.
Which brings us to the four players who are currently projected to lead the Warriors at the end of this decade: Trayce-Jackson Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski.
Here’s a look at where everyone stands a few days before 2024 training camp:
Jackson-Davis
At 24, he is the oldest of the four. The 6-foot-9 center, a four-year starter at Indiana University, brings solid rim protection, decent rebounding and the ability to make smart and even slick passes out of the post. He is a solid defender, in general, but his switching ability on the perimeter needs development. The 2023 second-round draft pick (No. 57) is an attractive lob threat but needs to work on his scoring outside the paint.
All-star chances: 15 percent. This could increase if the Warriors are a legitimate contender. The west is deep. Vets include Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns. And 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama projects as a future MVP.
Kumiga
The 6-foot-7 forward, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, has spectacular moments that make for highlight material. He’s not built to be a power forward, so he’ll have to settle in and become a small forward. His tools for that position are a work in progress. It is disheartening that he still has to avoid wild inconsistencies that sometimes paint him as a project. It is encouraging that he is only 21, years away from what should be his peak.
All-star chances: 55 percent. He made a generous leap last season and needs another next season. Add another 15 percent if that works out. At his age, there is plenty of time to get there.
moody
Sporadic playing time made the No. 14 pick in the ’21 draft perhaps the biggest mystery on the team. The 6-foot-6 wing from the University of Arkansas does a little bit of everything, mostly well, but doesn’t wow the populace. His extensive skills seem suited to thrive in a team setting, like fellow Daniel Gafford, rather than as a peak star. Such players are necessary to succeed, but rarely lend themselves to All-Star debate.
All-star chances: 10 percent. We’ve only seen snapshots of Moody, who at age 22 has yet to establish himself as part of Golden State’s rotation. Once he accomplishes that — or gets playing time on another team — it will be easier to gauge his upside.
Underworld
The 6-foot-5 guard out of Santa Clara University made himself valuable as a rookie by setting screens, making smooth passes, getting some buckets, drawing a lot of charges and running the floor like a lick. He’s too impetuous at times, but doing good things has earned him a spot in the rotation. Only 21, he will need to fix his free-throw shooting (63.3 percent) and become a more productive 3-point shooter.
All-Star Chances: 40 percent: The West is loaded with talented young guards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Jalen Green and Austin Reeves to name six. But if the Warriors become a perennial contender, BP has a chance to follow the blueprint created by Manu Ginobili in San Antonio.
