The Warriors are wasting no time in Hawaii. With preseason set to open Sunday against the Clippers, Steve Kerr has already mapped out his first five, and the lineup comes with one notable wrinkle: Yaxel Lendeborg is in it.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Kerr plans to start Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford. Kerr said he likes the mix because it gives Golden State size up front and enough playmaking to keep the offense moving.
“Really good size on the frontline,” Kerr said, via Slater. “Good playmaking from, obviously, Steph and Dray together.
Also spacing from Al. All three of those guys, Al, Yaxel, BP, can all shoot the three but also make plays.
So it’s a good, well-balanced lineup. The question will be: can we do that opening night, given the age of Al and minutes, all that stuff?
Who knows? But for now, that’s how we’ll start.”
Slater added that the same five opened Thursday’s scrimmage, which suggests Kerr has been leaning this way for a bit. Still, this is preseason, and the coach left plenty of room for the picture to change once the games count.
Curry and Green were never really in doubt. Curry, the 12-time All-Star, averaged 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26. Green, meanwhile, posted 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, and Kerr has already said his minutes will be tied to Curry’s.
Podziemski is getting the nod too, continuing the role he held late last season. He started the final 24 games of the 2025-26 campaign and averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.2 blocks per game. He’s not exactly a fan favorite, but Kerr has been a steady backer of his, and this move fits that pattern.
Horford at center also makes sense for now. The Warriors announced that Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with a health issue, and he didn’t travel to Hawaii.
He has only been ruled out through this week, so there’s still a chance he could be available for opening night against the Lakers on Oct. 21.
If he isn’t, Horford looks like the placeholder. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in 2025-26, though at 40 years old, the workload has to be managed.
The biggest surprise is Lendeborg, who is only beginning his first NBA season after Golden State took him with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Kerr doesn’t usually hand rookie starters a spot, but Lendeborg has forced the issue. He was named Summer League MVP and championship game MVP, Green praised him after Jimmy Butler’s players-only minicamp, and Curry and Horford were impressed with him on the first day of training camp.
Lendeborg heard about Kerr’s decision on Thursday, and his reaction sounded like a rookie who knows he’s still learning on the fly.
“Oh, that’s gonna be the starting lineup?” Lendeborg said, via 95.7 The Game.
“Oh aight damn, I’m nervous… I mean, it’s definitely going to be nice for me to be able to play with them. My first game to like learn so much, ’cause I feel like I was a little sloppy today on my pick-and-roll reads.
So it’s definitely going to be something where I can keep asking questions in live action play, which will definitely help me out a lot more going forward.”
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