All the recent talk about superteams is an ironic referendum on what winning basketball has become. The dawn of the superteam started with the Celtics in 2008, quickly transforming into the Heatles with LeBron, and culminated in the KD Warriors run before everyone started to arm up and play top-heavy. What’s ironic about it is that the Warriors are now 4-0, but their team is closer to their first two Finals runs than it is to the KD years. A bench supporting a transcendent offensive talent, one that’s missing pieces and is still putting on a nightly show, and an offensive scheme built around movement and unselfish play amongst guys who fill specific roles. This is what defined the Warriors franchise in 2014-2015, and continues to define them as they enter a post-superteam era.

It’s obvious that this team is far ahead of the Dubs of yesteryear, with a supporting cast much more suited to spacing and consistency on the offensive end. The Warriors made it all the way to the play-in on Steph Curry’s back, and now, he doesn’t just have help, but he has a ton of help. The addition of shooting, playmaking, and defending, as well as excellent all-around improved play from players who were on two-way contracts in years past, has propelled the Warriors into the conversation as a title contender according to media pundits.

To put things into perspective: Jordan Poole is now an MIP candidate, Damion Lee is shooting 47% from three and scoring double-digits per game, Moses Moody has made solid contributions in limited minutes, and Gary Payton II has shown he can lock up some of the league’s best (in about 4 seconds of floor time against the Lakers last week, he picked Westbrook’s pocket with some help from a double by Steph Curry). Those are all guys the Warriors signed to two-ways at one point, or drafted. Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica, the big free agency pickups this season, are both having instant impact. Porter Jr. is a positive defender and while his shot is struggling a tad, his historical averages figure to pick that back up. Bjelica was possibly the best player on the court in a game that included Steph Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook in the season opener, and has given the Warriors a healthy dose of big-man playmaking through their four games this season while remaining efficient.

There is a lot of evidence here to suggest the Warriors are the deepest team in the league. That’s a scary thought, considering they’re missing a starter in Klay Thompson and what could be a key rotation piece in James Wiseman alongside rookie Jonathan Kuminga. As the team regains these players from injury and begins to mesh into the Golden State system, the Strength In Numbers motto is starting to look like an excellent team hashtag to bring back.

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