Steve Kerr has a pretty clear lean for the Warriors’ season opener, and it points toward speed, spacing and Draymond Green doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the middle.
With Golden State set to face the Lakers on Oct. 21, Kerr said Monday that Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Green are his preferred group “for now.” If that’s the route he sticks with, Green would start at center and Al Horford would come off the bench, giving the Warriors a smaller look right out of the gate.
Kerr hasn’t locked anything in yet, but he didn’t exactly hide his direction either. His thinking is tied to how he wants to manage his two veteran bigs and keep one of them on the floor to stabilize the defense.
“I also like the idea of having Draymond or Al on the court as often as possible to anchor our defense,” Kerr said. “So yeah, I’m leaning that way.”
That creates a very specific opening-night puzzle for Los Angeles. The Lakers already know this group can put pressure on a defense, and Kerr has at least shown his hand enough to give them a head start on the prep.
Golden State already tried out that same starting five in its 124-98 preseason win over the Lakers on Oct. 6.
Lendeborg led that group with 17 points, while Curry and Podziemski had 16 apiece. The Warriors also piled up 32 assists on 41 made field goals and shot 15-of-35 from 3-point range.
The Lakers shouldn’t treat that final score as the whole story, though. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler all sat out that game, so the matchup didn’t come close to resembling what opening night might look like.
Still, the preseason tape gave both teams something useful. Golden State showed how that lineup can move the ball and generate clean looks, while Los Angeles got a preview of the defensive questions it’ll have to solve if Kerr uses that smaller group again.
Redick, for his part, still has decisions to make on his own side. He said Sunday that the Lakers were still sorting through two starting spots next to Doncic, Reaves and Kessler, and he made it clear the injury situation has complicated the evaluation.
“We’ve certainly seen glimpses of the things we like,” Redick said. “It’s hard because we’ve just been a little disjointed with the guys being banged up, so there’s nothing definitive yet.”
The Lakers’ response to Golden State’s possible small-ball look won’t necessarily be to match it. Going bigger could help with rim protection and rebounding, but only if the group can stay connected enough to handle the movement and action on the perimeter.
That’s a real concern for Los Angeles. Redick said Saturday that he wants two bigger wings around the Lakers’ backup center, pointing to Doncic, Adou Thiero and Sandro Mamukelashvili while talking about the team’s rebounding without Kessler.
The numbers from Thursday’s 114-110 win over Sacramento explain why that matters. The Kings grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and finished with a 46-39 edge on the glass.
The Lakers won that game, but the rebounding issue was obvious. If Golden State goes small, simply forcing a miss won’t be enough. Los Angeles has to finish the possession.
There’s also another wrinkle in play for Golden State: Kristaps Porzingis. Kerr said Monday that Porzingis will be at Chase Center on Tuesday to meet with the medical staff, and he did not rule him out for the regular-season opener.
For now, though, the bigger picture is clear. Kerr is leaning toward a lineup built around Green at center, Horford is positioned as a reserve option, and the Lakers have at least one more look Tuesday in Las Vegas before opening night.
That game will come without Horford, who did not scrimmage and will not travel because of maintenance. Curry is expected to play some second-half minutes for the first time this preseason, giving the Lakers another chance to see how Golden State’s offense looks with him on the floor deeper into the game.
Between now and Oct. 21, the Lakers are trying to figure out which combinations can keep the Warriors out of rhythm, stay attached away from the ball and close possessions on the glass. Kerr has already offered a clue about what’s coming. Now Los Angeles has to sort out its answer.
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