SAN FRANCISCO – Though the 2024-25 season was a memorable one for several Warriors as Golden State reached the second round of the playoffs after a blockbuster trade, it was also one to forget for a few others.
Steph Curry added another incredible season to a career filled with them, and Jimmy Butler “saved” the Warriors after being traded from Miami to Golden State in February.
But Jonathan Kuminga was stifled by an ankle injury and then the Butler acquisition, which affected Kuminga’s role, and Trayce Jackson-Davis went from starter to afterthought.
When grading players, their standard for what would qualify as a “great season” is taken into account.
What would be a normal season for Curry would be A+++ for Buddy Hield. They have different roles and are thus judged according to unequal standards.
With that said, here’s our end-of-season grades for the Warriors.
Steph Curry
Grade: A-
Stats: 24.5 ppg, 6.0 apg, 39.7 3FG%
Breakdown: The face of the franchise is still one of the 10 best players in the world and put up All-NBA caliber numbers. He had a vintage 36-point game against Memphis in the play-in, and then torched Houston in the first round. But at 37, age is starting to take its toll, with the “off” shooting nights becoming more frequent and nagging injuries more prevalent. Curry missed almost all of the Minnesota series with a strained hamstring. While he is still a superstar by any metric, he’s taken a noticeable step back from his illustrious prime.
Jimmy Butler
Grade: B+
Stats: 17.9 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.5 rpg
Breakdown: Butler arrived in the Bay Area by way of Miami in early February and instantly helped turn around a floundering season. The Warriors went 23-8 down the stretch, with Butler’s isolation shotmaking and versatile defense helping plug the many gaps in the Warriors’ roster. So how can the man who “saved” Golden State’s season get anything less than an A? Well, injured or not, Butler missed two games in the Houston series with a bruised pelvis, and then was noticeably hobbled/ill and ineffective during the final three games of the Minnesota series. With Curry out, the Warriors needed “Playoff Jimmy” to show up for at least one of the four games they played without their longtime star, and that did not happen.
Draymond Green
Grade: B-
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.5 spg
Breakdown: When it came to playing basketball, Green was as impactful as ever. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting thanks to a second-half surge at center that, along with Butler’s arrival, spearheaded the Warriors’ rise up the Western Conference standings. He remained an effective passer out of the short roll and attempted the most 3-pointers per game (3.5) in a season for him since 2018. But it is impossible to ignore the five technical and two flagrant fouls that Green notched in just 12 playoff games, and the turmoil that caused.
Quinten Post
Grade: C+
Stats: 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 40.8 3FG%
Breakdown: Was a revelation as the No. 52 pick in the 2024 draft. The 25-year-old became the Warriors’ first reliable stretch big in years, shooting 40.8% from three and ramping up his volume in the second half of the season. He was not perfect, seeing his minutes decline during the postseason and in certain regular-season matchups. But for a second-round rookie, the Warriors have to be thrilled with finding a rotational player.
Buddy Hield
Grade: C+
Stats: 11.1 ppg, 37.0 3FG%
Breakdown: Hield lived up to his reputation as a mercurial shooter and an iron man, playing in all 82 games as a streaky gunner off the bench. He scored in double-figures 43 times while providing spacing for oft-cramped lineups. His defense (or lack thereof) and at times baffling decision-making provided almost as many laughs as his jokes in the locker room.
Brandin Podziemski
Grade: C
Stats: 11.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 37.2 3FG%
Breakdown: Lots of highs and lows. When forced to play more of an on-ball role early in the season and during the Minnesota series, the second-year Santa Clara guard struggled to find his rhythm and shot. But after the Butler trade moved him to the two-guard slot, he averaged 15 points per game to end the regular season and showed off some impressive shot-making and quick passing instincts. In all, had a decent second season.
Moses Moody
Grade: C
Stats: 9.8 ppg, 1.2 spg, 37.4 3FG%
Breakdown: Before his shot completely abandoned him in the postseason – when he was 4 of 23 in his final six games – Moody emerged as a reliable 3-and-D wing next to Butler after three years of inconsistent playing time. Capable of defending guards and forwards, Moody started the last 28 games of the regular season. Still offensively limited outside of open 3-pointers and straight-line drives, something that was exposed in the postseason.
Kevon Looney
Grade: C
Stats: 4.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 orpg
Breakdown: Mr. Reliable put in another workmanlike season for the Warriors, starting just six games but playing in 76. Was still a monster on the offensive glass, and is an effective defender despite hardly being fleet of foot. His scoring efficiency took a major dive though, shooting eight percentage points worse than last season. Will enter free agency after 10 years with the Warriors.
Gary Payton II
Grade: C
Stats: 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 apg
Breakdown: As coach Steve Kerr likes to remind anyone who will listen, Payton II’s defense is a big reason the Warriors won the 2022 championship. While he is not quite as springy as he was three years ago, the 32-year-old guard is still the team’s top defensive stopper. But as a free agent whose game is predicated on athletic gifts that will only decline with age, his effectiveness probably isn’t going to improve.
Gui Santos
Grade: C-
Stats: 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.3 orpg
Breakdown: Santos, like many of his teammates, saw his game take a step forward once Butler arrived. The second-year Brazilian forward made his mark by providing relentless energy, grabbing offensive rebounds and playing frenetic defense. The rest of his game leaves much to be desired, but in a small role, Santos did enough to earn Kerr’s trust.
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Jonathan Kuminga
Grade: C-
Stats: 15.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 45.4 FG%
Breakdown: It was a story of two seasons for Kuminga. Before the ankle injury that knocked him out of 31 games, the fourth-year forward thrived as a high-scoring forward on a team that struggled to string together wins. After he returned, Butler knocked him out of his role as the primary wing scorer, and Kuminga’s minutes fluctuated. After being dropped from the rotation at the end of the regular season and to start the Houston showdown, Kuminga reentered the lineup and later averaged 24 ppg with Curry out against Minnesota. Approaching free agency and his fifth season in the NBA, nobody quite knows where Kuminga fits in the Warriors’ plans.
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Grade: D
Stats: 6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Breakdown: Was a regular starter at center until February, when he was dropped from the regular rotation and received more DNP’s (18) than games with double-digit minutes (1) as the team went all-in with Green at the center spot. The bouncy big man struggled with finishing around the rim, shooting just 58% from the field after making 70% of his shots as a rookie, but had success against Rudy Gobert in the Minnesota series.
Pat Spencer
Grade: D
Stats: 2.5 ppg, 1.2 apg
Breakdown: The former lacrosse standout became a fan favorite thanks to his mustache and high-energy style in bursts of playing time. Helped lead a spirited comeback in Game 5 against the Rockets and went viral for scoring on LeBron James, but did not become a consistent part of the rotation.
Kevin Knox II
Grade: D
Stats: 3.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Breakdown: The former 2019 lottery pick of the New York Knicks joined the Santa Cruz Warriors at the start of the season. After averaging 21.8 ppg for the G League affiliate, Knox was called up to the NBA team. He had a few nice scoring moments in garbage time but never cracked the regular lineup.
