The team's core players are all under the age of 26, with Barnes at 20, Thompson at 23 and Curry bringing up the rear at 25. The potential is high for the two sharpshooters in the backcourt, but the highest upside belongs to the young star from North Carolina.
Much ballyhooed and perhaps a bit underrated after being severely overrated in college, he exploded in the postseason, joining Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson as players who scored over 20 points in multiple games.
To take the proverbial next step, Thompson will need to become a better ball-handler and dribbler, Curry a better defender and, most importantly, Barnes will need to become the scorer he is capable of being.
The Warriors rarely ran any plays for him, only 6.6 percent of his plays were off pick-and-rolls, according to Synergy, and if they reversed this trend, the offense could take off.
Take the Denver Nuggets series for example: When Lee was out, Barnes exploded with more shots and more spacing. The future is now, and with the continued developments of their young stars, the Warriors are on their way to becoming the next Oklahoma City Thunder.
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