Key Dates for the 2020-2021 Golden State Warriors Season

With the NBA Draft in the rearview mirror and free agency in full swing, the quickest offseason is quickly turning the page to next season. In less than a month, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will return to the court, headlining a roster ready to get back to contention in the West, alongside new faces young and old. The loss of Klay Thompson still stings, but until he returns, the goal to compete remains the same. 

In recent memory, the 82-game regular season may have been a bit of a drag for Golden State, with the acceptance that the playoffs would be the time when it mattered most. This coming regular season, on the contrary, has significance for both the Warriors’ path to the playoffs as well as the chemistry of the new-look roster. With only 72 regular-season games this year in addition to a new “play-in” system for the playoffs, there are multiple key dates to watch throughout the season. 

Individual Player Workouts (Dec 1 - 5) and Group Player Workouts (Dec 6)

Stephen Curry finally gets his chance to play a full season with the likes of Andrew Wiggins and others after he was limited to just five games last season. Draymond Green will be instrumental in helping mentor second overall pick James Wiseman while bringing Kelly Oubre Jr. into the fold will be significant in filling the void left by Klay Thompson. All these goals will take time and hinge on building chemistry during training camp. 

This season, with new COVID protocols in place, seeing those goals through will undoubtedly look different. From November 27 through December 2, all players must self-quarantine at home, and only after having three consecutive tests return negative can they take to the court for individual workouts. During this period, no more than four players can be in the facility at one time. That restriction will change once group player workouts begin on December 6. 

The added restrictions are necessary precautions, and they will also limit the time in which team rosters build chemistry with each other under normal circumstances. In a season that will heavily depend on how the new faces mesh into the Warriors system, it’s vital that Golden State leverages this period safely and to the fullest. 

NBA Preseason (Dec 11 - 19)

Golden State has three games on the preseason schedule: December 12th at home against the Denver Nuggets, December 15th at the Sacramento Kings, and December 17th again at Sacramento. The preseason has largely been a bit of a wash for the Warriors during their five-year NBA Finals run, but for this coming season, it’s a chance to get a first look at what is potentially to come. Golden State knows what they’re getting in Curry and Green, but what can be said for the other younger players? 

The Warriors are betting on Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole taking another leap forward in being valuable contributors of the second unit. The preseason will be the first look at Brad Wanamaker handling the backup point guard duties. How is Andrew Wiggins’ outside shot looking, and how does Kelly Oubre Jr. mesh in Golden State’s system of movement? Does James Wiseman’s rim-protecting prowess make him look like an impact player from the start, or does it make sense to manage his playing time to develop throughout the season? 

The preseason is a small sample size of three games, but they are three significant games nonetheless, and it could potentially shape the starting lineup come opening night. 

First Half of the regular season (Dec 22, 2020 - Mar 4, 2021)

The NBA is expected to release the regular-season schedule in portions, with the first half to be announced in the short-term. Once those official games are announced, Golden State will have a better sense as to exactly what lies ahead of them (a tougher start out the gate or a soft schedule to begin?) Though not officially announced just yet, it’s rumored that the Warriors will see the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day (a matchup with LeBron James in what almost seems to be an annual tradition). 

Golden State’s abundance of all-star talent in the past has naturally placed more emphasis on the second half of the season, but these are different times. The difference in being a seventh or eighth seed in the West versus a sixth seed is significant (more on that later), and if a game or two lead against other West teams proves to be the deciding factor, it could come down to how Golden State fared early out the gate. For the first time in a while, those first ten games or so of the season have more meaning than normal. 

Second Half of the regular season (Mar 11 - May 16) and Play-In Tournament (May 18 - 21)

Following the All-Star break in early March (with no All-Star Weekend this year) the second half of the season will kick-off on March 11. Depending on the Warriors’ record at the time, they’ll use this second portion of the schedule to either solidify their spot in the Western Conference Standings or rather to continue the push for a spot in the postseason. This year the assurance of a playoff appearance is different: if the Warriors finish within the 1 - 6 seed range, they will confidently make the postseason. If they finish between the 7 - 10 seed range, then the final two playoff spots are up for grabs. 

After testing the ‘Play-In’ process in the Orlando bubble, the NBA has brought the same process to the 2020-2021 season. The process is essentially a ‘best-of-three’ series with the higher seed being granted a one-game advantage. If the Warriors find themselves finishing as a seventh or eighth seed, they need to win just one game over their opponent (the ninth or tenth seed) to make the playoffs. If the Warriors find themselves in the vice-versa position (as a lower seed), then they would have to win two straight games over the higher seed to make the postseason, setting them up for a first-round matchup with one of the contending teams of the West (likely the Lakers or Clippers.)

The coming NBA season may be one of uncertainty, with so many outcomes in play and so many factors apparent. The same can be said for this Golden State roster, but with the return of Curry and Green finally playing a full season with young players like Wiggins, alongside new faces like Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman, an exciting Warriors season nonetheless is on the horizon, and we can all be thankful for that.