Kristaps Porzingis’ absence is pushing the Warriors right back toward the kind of small-ball look that has defined so much of Steve Kerr’s tenure - but the real test is still coming.
Porzingis is expected to miss Golden State’s season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers next week, as he continues to deal with an illness that has kept him away from the team through training camp and most of the preseason. In the meantime, the Warriors are acting like a team that’s already making contingency plans.
That was on display in Saturday night’s 111-106 win over the Sacramento Kings. Rather than turning to the extra center help they added, Golden State again leaned into a smaller frontcourt setup and largely kept Charles Bassey and the two-way contracted Graham Ike on the margins.
Bassey has been productive this preseason and looked sharp again, but he didn’t check in until the fourth quarter Saturday. He finished with five points and three rebounds in a little over eight minutes. Ike, who had played in Golden State’s first three preseason games, didn’t get on the floor at all.
Instead, Al Horford was the only big man used off the bench. For the second straight game, with Wednesday’s matchup in Portland excluded because essentially the whole rotation was out, the Warriors opened small with Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green in the frontcourt.
As the preseason winds down, that looks less like a one-off and more like the shape of Golden State’s plan. Saturday felt like the clearest sign yet that, without Porzingis, the Warriors may be counting on Green and Lendeborg as their small-ball five options, with Horford handling about 20-24 minutes off the bench.
There’s reason for some confidence. Lendeborg, listed at nearly 6’10” and 240 pounds, gives the Warriors a frontcourt piece with real size and enough skill to make the alignment work. Santos is 6’8”, and Green has spent years proving he can play bigger than his frame.
Still, this setup hasn’t been fully stress-tested. The two games Golden State has tried it in have come against a Lakers team without 7’2” Walker Kessler controlling the paint and a Kings team missing Domantas Sabonis and lacking much interior presence.
So the question now is simple: can the Warriors keep rolling with this approach once the games count, starting with opening night against Kessler and the Lakers? That answer isn’t in yet, and Bassey may still end up being called on for bench minutes before long.
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Warriors Roster Decision Is Raising Tough Questions About What They Value
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Warriors Just Made A Podziemski Bet That Could Shape Currys Window
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Podziemski thanked the organization for the faith it showed in him, and the contract structure only adds to the sense that Golden State sees him as more than a useful rotation piece. For the Warriors, the question now is how far that bet extends and what it means for the balance between Currys win-now timeline and the young core they are choosing to invest in around him. [Read more 🡒]