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Warriors midseason report: Is Golden State a true contender?

Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYJanuary 16, 2026 at 6:40 AM

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Warriors midseason report: Is Golden State a true contender?

SAN FRANCISCO ― The second half of the NBA's 2025-26 regular season is officially underway with the first 41 games in the books.

At the midway point, the Golden State Warriors entered their Thursday game against the New York Knicks at Chase Center with a 22-19 record, the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.

The Warriors started the second half of the season with a 126-113 victory against the Knicks to advance to 23-19 on the season. They were led by Jimmy Butler with 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field.

Stephen Curry with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including cashing in on four three-point field goals. Moses Moody added 21 points and Brandin Podziemski, who only missed one shot (8-of-9) had 19 points off the bench.

During the Warriors' postgame news conference, Curry told USA TODAY Sports that the team still has "a long way to go" to get into the rhythm that propelled the team to a playoff run in 2025.

"The record is starting to reflect that but again, we have a long way to go," Curry said. "This home stand has been great. It's been nice to have a consistent flow of games, practice time, film time, you know time for us to all get together and understand what we're trying to do."

If the Warriors were to be graded on their performance through the first 41 games, their midseason grade would be a C+.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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1 / 8Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponentsOct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.

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It's almost night and day with this team. They've played relatively well in front of their home crowd. The Warriors are 14-6 at Chase Center. But the Warriors' struggles have come on the road where they are 8-13.

Jimmy Butler has been holding the team accountable for its up-and-down play.

Butler told reporters after the Warriors' Jan. 13 win against the Portland Trail Blazers that the team has been "mediocre" through the first half of the season.

"We need to win more games, lose less games," Butler said. "That's just where we are at. I think it's the worst place to be, to be mediocre. Because yes it can go either way, but nobody wants to be just average."

Recently, the Warriors have found the recipe to success and getting back to their winning identity, winning 10 of their last 14 games.

Over the course of the season, the Warriors have scored 115.5 points per game, but also have given up 113.2 points per game. Despite allowing so many points, Golden State has the sixth-best defensive rating (112.2) in the league, according to NBA.com.

One area that has been a heightened focus for Golden State was their rotations and getting consistent play from their second unit.

"Just adding Melt (De'Anthony Melton) and Al (Horford) out there with Jimmy," forward Draymond Green told reporters when asked if their rotations are clicking. "Both of those guys are really smart. Both of those guys can shoot the ball really well. Both of those guys defend really well."

Green added: "You add them next to Jimmy and that lineup has taken off for us in a major way and it's been...we've gotten down a couple times in the first quarter and they bring it right back. So it's starting to become what you expect with that group whether we're close and they take it up, whether we're down and they bring it back, whether we got a lead and they build on it. That's been the MO of their ability."

Going into the season the Warriors were highly regarded as one of the more talented teams in the league and expected to be a contender.

Golden State finished last season with a second round exit in the NBA Playoffs, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games with Curry and Butler hampered by injury.

"We're different. We're a different team than last year. We went on a great run down the stretch of the season. Jimmy was only here for 30 games and just felt like a sprint," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told USA TODAY following their Jan. 15 win against the Knicks.

Kerr added: "This is a marathon, all year long. It's a much different dynamic when you're playing 82 versus playing 30. We're in it for the long haul but we have Melt (De'Anthony Melton). We have Al (Horford). We have a different team this year than we had last year. We're starting to get some momentum and playing pretty well."

As of late, Warriors backup point guard Brandin Podziemski has been playing good ball. He's been one of the components that have helped Golden State on their recent surge.

"Just trying to play to my strengths," Podziemski told USA TODAY. "Playing hard, making quick decisions and living with the result."

Podziemski has been taking pride in his role and doing whatever the team asks of him. A task that will prove to add a level depth, making the the Warriors a tough team to beat on a nightly basis.

"Me and Melt talk about it all the time, just providing a spark," Podziemski said. "Whether its scoring, playmaking, defending, whatever we need."

As they look toward the next 40 games, Curry said the Warriors are starting to become more comfortable.

"Mostly just the conversation we've been having around rotations and knowing who you're playing with out there," Curry said. "For any guy to have that comfort level of 'I know where my shots are coming from, I kind of know some of the actions and play calls that we're running.' Chemistry starts to build that way."

Curry added: "That's probably the most helpful. Just understand what's been working what combinations have been working, and sticking with it. We're still playing 11 guys at least 10 to 15 minutes, so that does matter over the course."

The Warriors remain at the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings with 40 games to go. If the regular-season ended today, Golden State would be in a play-in game.

Golden State hopes to move up in the standings as the season progresses.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors midseason grade: Is Golden State an NBA contender?

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