The Golden State Warriors are the league's current dynasty and likely the current most hated team in the NBA. With Kevin Durant leaving to the Brooklyn Nets and Klay Thompson recovering from injury, many feel that they're run is over. In the last decade, they went from being an NBA highlight reel to an actual championship contender with arguably the best core of three superstar players in the league. Let's look back at the last decade for the Golden State Warriors and rank their best players in that time.
10 Quinn Cook
One quick look at Quinn Cook and you'd think you're looking at a Jay Cole impersonator, but one glance at his game and you'll see he's 100% authentic. He was only with the Golden State Warriors for two years, but in that time he was arguably their most reliable scoring option off the bench. Cook is a sniper from the 3-point line and has built a reputation as an energy guy off the bench. His 2017 campaign had him shooting 88% from the free-throw line, 48% from the field, and 44% from the 3-point line.
9 Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes may have only been a part of the Golden State Warriors first championship following the 2014-15 season, but he was a homegrown talent who went on to the Dallas Mavericks and ended up being a better acquisition than Chandler Parsons. He has a history of stepping up when needed as a glance at his stats would show you that 3 out of the 4 years he played in the playoffs with the Warriors his numbers improved from the regular season as he upped his play when it mattered most.
8 Shaun Livingston
If you want to read an uplifting story about hope and perseverance simply look into the story of Shaun Livingston's NBA career. He started as a hot prospect, to succumbing to terrible injuries forcing him to play overseas, to becoming an important piece of a championship-caliber team. He was key in helping the bench rotation for the Golden State Warriors and will likely be underappreciated in the annals of NBA history. Livingston announced his retirement from the NBA after 14 seasons in September of 2019.
7 Andre Iguodala
By the time Andre Iguodala left Philadelphia and made his way over to Golden State after a very brief stop in Denver, he wasn't the same explosive player he was for the 76ers. That being said, his experience and willingness to commit to the job of a role player helped him become a major piece in the Warriors three recent championships. His NBA Finals MVP is a little questionable, but there's no doubt that he was a major contributing factor to their success. The Warriors stated they plan to retire his #9 jersey despite trading him away in 2019.
6 David Lee
When you can say that you scored in the double-digits in the NBA in 123 consecutive games, you know you're a special player. David Lee was never the leading superstar for Golden State, but for the four non-injury riddled seasons he was with them he was a double-double machine practically averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Despite the injuries in 2014 he managed to be a part of Steph Curry and company's first championship before heading out to several teams before retiring in 2017.
5 Monta Ellis
With the combination of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson taking over the NBA landscape, people have forgotten about Steph's original partner at guard, Monte Ellis. Before shipping him off to Milwaukee many thought that the combination of Ellis and Curry could be something special. If there were two things the Golden State Warriors could count on from Ellis it was that he could score and he had stamina for days. He averaged around 23 points and 40 minutes played per game in his final couple of seasons as a Warrior.
4 Draymond Green
Draymond Green is the type of player who's perfect in the era he's playing in. The way the game has spread out and allows smaller power forwards to be successful has helped Green's career. He's never the fastest, strongest, or best shooter on the court, but he makes up for it with tremendous effort and energy. He also happens to be a solid defensive player that looks to create scoring opportunities off turnovers. Outside of Golden State, he's likely a solid role player, but in that blue and gold, he's the battery that keeps them going.
3 Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is known by most as the second half of the vaunted Splash Brothers combination, but he's a very impressive player in his own right. Thankfully for the organization, Klay has the type of personality where his ego doesn't take over and he's fine dominating under Steph Curry. Fans were worried he might leave during the 2019 off-season, but it seems like he'll be a Golden State Warrior for most of his career. He's only managed to be one of the NBA's best defenders and can score with the best of them.
2 Kevin Durant
Now, Golden State Warriors fans might be a little higher on Kevin Durant than Oklahoma City, but despite him dominating in the NBA Finals of their last two championships, he can't be #1. First of all, he was a hired gun, a mercenary of the NBA world. With him recently departing to the Brooklyn Nets the Warriors now fall back to solely being Steph Curry's team. A fully healthy Durant is arguably the world's best basketball player and he gave Golden State all he had for three strong seasons, which sadly ended in injury.
1 Steph Curry
The big knock against Steph Curry is that despite him helping the Golden State Warriors bring home three titles he's never won an NBA Finals MVP. The first went to Andre Igoudala, with the last two going to Kevin Durant. Outside of that Curry has only managed to win two league MVP awards, three championships, and transformed the way the league plays. He also managed to join the elite 50-40-90 club in 2016 for shooting 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line, and 90% at the free-throw line.