The Golden State Warriors’ win projection is a flirtation with a play-in tournament

December 23, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a basket in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center. Must-Have: Neville E. Guard – USA TODAY Sports

One of the Golden State Warriors’ biggest flaws last season was their inability to maintain leads. They lost many games losing winning positions, which ultimately cost them a spot in the Western Conference. After revamping the rotation in the summer, Steve Kerr’s team will undoubtedly be a tougher opponent in the upcoming campaign.

Kevin Pelton recently released his winning projections for each team in his annual column for ESPN. The Warriors finished seventh in the West in total wins based on the results produced by his algorithm, with 44.8 wins averaged throughout the season.

“Relative positioning will be more important for the Warriors than absolute wins. Golden State’s 46 wins last season included just three wins over the Suns, who completely avoided the play-in,” Pelton wrote. “Instead, the Warriors were one-point in the play-in after having to open on the road in Sacramento. Golden State continued to be stronger on point differential, finishing seventh in the West – before the Finals-tied Mavericks.”

After missing the playoffs last season, the Warriors will undoubtedly accept any win that advances them to the postseason without having to go through the play-in tournament. As such, they may need to outperform Pelton’s projections to ensure they have a chance to make a deep playoff run.

Of course, Pelton’s projections are based on the current lineup. If Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors front office decide to rework the contract between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the situation in the Bay Area could look very different. For now, however, the Warriors are expected to knock on the door of a sixth team at the end of the season.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors win projection sees a flirtation with the play-in tournament