Sep 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), forward Draymond Green (23), and forward Jimmy Butler III (10) pose for a photo during Media Day at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

NBA Champion Stephen Jackson Has Major Prediction for Warriors

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Jared Knobloch | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 8:18 PM ET

As the 2025-26 NBA season approaches, the veteran-loaded Golden State Warriors are gearing up to hopefully win championship number five in the Stephen Curry era.

With notable stars like Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler there to help that endeavor, the Dubs could make some noise in the grueling Western Conference, although it will not be easy.

Specifically with this upcoming season, it's widely agreed that nearly every team in the West can compete for the championship, making it a gauntlet just to get into the playoffs. Luckily, they have years of championship-level experience on their side, and that alone should carry some weight.

Though we won't know the result of the Warriors' 2025-26 campaign until next April, former Golden State Warriors star and NBA champion Stephen Jackson had a major prediction on how they'll finish this season.

Stephen Jackson Has High Hopes for the Warriors

Stephen Jackson says the Warriors have the best starting lineup in the NBA

“I want to go on record saying this to the world, the Warriors can win the championship. This lineup I’m about to say is the best lineup in the league this year. Steph at the one, Jimmy at the two,… pic.twitter.com/esGIzHDyE1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 20, 2025

“I want to go on record saying this to the world: the Warriors can win the championship. This lineup I’m about to say is the best lineup in the league this year. Steph at the one, Jimmy at the two, Kuminga at the three, Draymond at the four, Horford at the five," said Jackson on his podcast, All The Smoke.

He continued, "That’s probably the best five in the league coming down the playoffs in the fourth quarter that I would trust.”

Obviously, listing out the exact lineup that could potentially be used come playoff time, Jackson's point was that this is a championship-level lineup. The pedigree of Curry and Green undoubtedly makes sense. Al Horford just won a championship with the Celtics in 2024. Butler led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals twice in 2020 and 2023.

Kuminga, being the youngest and least experienced, still partook in the Dubs' 2022 championship run, at least giving him an idea of what it takes, and now has a few more years of experience.

The @warriors are the 2021-22 NBA Champions! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/ckNLJTdQ1C
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2022

These days, the NBA is stacked with talent. The Warriors might be "old," but they still have a few tricks left up their sleeve. With Jimmy Butler, they went 23-7 to finish the regular season. Coming into this year, they'll finally have a full season with Butler in the lineup, which will make all the difference.

They'll have the opportunity to get off to a good start as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on NBA Opening Night, which is Tuesday, October 21.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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