Stephen Curry expressed confidence in the Golden State Warriors’ ability to remain championship contenders shortly before his new two-year, $116 million extension was announced.
Despite Golden State relying on an aging core, Curry believes the Warriors can still compete at the highest level.
However, he acknowledged that the team may need to find a different formula than the one that powered its previous championship runs.
“You could ask me, you could ask (coach) Steve Kerr, you could ask Draymond (Green), we still believe that we can be that team,” Curry said.
“I think our challenge now is to reimagine what that looks like. And, you know, we have a veteran team. We need health on our side. … You can’t just roll the ball out and be like, ‘Oh, we’re the Warriors. We’re gonna win.’ Nah, it’s let’s embrace the challenge of figuring out what this team needs to do to win. And as long as I’m on the squad, Draymond, Steve, I feel like we all have that shared mentality.”
Health will be particularly important for Curry after physical issues limited him to 43 games last season. He admitted that handling the demands of an NBA season has become more difficult as he has gotten older.
The player is also increasingly aware that his playing career is approaching its final stages.
Rather than ignoring that reality, he said it has given him additional motivation to appreciate his remaining time in the league.
“I think about the end of the road every day,” Curry said.
“I think that’s okay. I think that’s a motivator, right? Like, it’s an idea that … you can’t just not get whatever you need to do out of every single day and not have the most fun and joy when I’m out there playing because wins and losses, I’m the most competitive guy in the room, I wanna win every game, but I also wanna enjoy myself and what I’m doing. And I can only enjoy myself if I’m prepared for what I need to do out there on the floor. So it all kinda goes hand in hand. And if I don’t acknowledge the end, I think I won’t appreciate the now, if that makes sense.”
