The Warriors’ newest early-season weapon isn’t some familiar superteam formula. It’s a three-man group built around rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, Brandin Podziemski, and Gui Santos, and through the opening week of the 2026-27 season it has been the NBA’s most destructive lineup of any size.
In just 31 minutes together, Golden State’s trio has produced a league-best plus-69 net rating, powered by a 144 offensive rating and a 75 defensive rating per 100 possessions. The ball is moving, the rebounds are coming in bunches, and the shots are falling from everywhere. Two-thirds of their made baskets have been assisted, they’ve nearly doubled up their turnovers in assists, and they’ve been punishing teams on the offensive glass while also earning trips to the line.
That combination showed up Monday night in Denver, where the Warriors rolled past Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets 134-114. The final score only slightly captured how thoroughly Golden State controlled the game in Ball Arena’s thin air.
The mix of Lendeborg, Podziemski, and Santos gives the Warriors a different kind of energy. Each brings a little of everything.
Each wants the ball moving. Each is willing to put pressure on the rim or let it fly from deep.
And each one does the dirty work on the glass and in the flow of the offense, which is why the trio functions so well around Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
Curry and Green were both sharp Monday, but the young group around them tilted the night. That’s especially true with Lendeborg, whose first four career games have been startlingly productive: 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while getting to the free-throw line nearly eight times a night.
Against Denver, he was even better. Lendeborg piled up 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, went 12 of 13 at the stripe, and finished plus-27.
Golden State was plus-25 with him on the floor and minus-5 when he sat. With Curry on the court Monday, the Warriors were plus-7; without him, they were plus-13.
Lendeborg’s presence was a major reason why.
“In all the critical spots, we put the ball in his hands,” Steve Kerr said after the win. “For a rookie to be that advanced already is extremely rare. … He’s going to be a guy who closes games.”
Kerr added, “He’s strong as an ox and skilled, and the way the game is played, he’s gonna be able to get to the [free-throw] line a ton,” Kerr said. “You saw it tonight. … If the other team goes on a run, you go to a guy like Yax or Jimmy [Butler], they get fouled, the game slows down and you set your defense.”
Podziemski has been every bit as important in the early going. He’s averaging 18 points on 15 shots a game, and Golden State clearly needed that kind of jump after committing long-term to him. Against the Nuggets, he put up 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists and finished a game-high plus-33.
“Brandin really knows how to play,” Kerr said. “He knows how to get people the ball. When you have both [him and Lendeborg] on the floor, there’s just a lot that can happen in order to attack the defense.”
Santos has fit as the stabilizer in the group. He scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 28 minutes Monday and ended at plus-18. He’s finding the soft spots, attacking the boards, and showing enough confidence now to create his own looks.
Curry’s line was clean and efficient - 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting - and Green helped steer things with seven assists while directing the defense. Still, the night belonged to the younger trio.
Lendeborg, Podziemski, and Santos are giving Golden State a switchable, aggressive 2-3-4 combination that can change the pace fast. It won’t be this clean every night, and Denver was a favorable matchup for the Warriors, but when it clicks, it can overwhelm people.
Plug the right point guard and big around that group, and it starts to look like a real answer for a Warriors team that has spent too much time searching for one.
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From the Warriors perspective, the appeal is obvious: Gafford would give them a more traditional option at a spot where they have been searching for answers. The twist is that the discussion is not just about fit, but about whether the money works cleanly for both sides and how much the Mavericks would value Moody, whose injury status and playing profile are part of the larger calculation. Nothing is finalized, of course, but this is the sort of deal framework that can linger because it forces both front offices to decide how much certainty they want now versus what they might prefer later. [Read more 🡒]