Blink twice if you’ve heard this before: The Golden State Warriors are going small. Small, though, brings a bit more heft this fall than in years past.
After a couple preseason games starting Draymond Green at center, head coach Steve Kerr said Monday he’s “leaning toward” a starting five of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Green to kick off the regular season Oct. 21 against the Lakers. Small-ball is back, as the three-man frontcourt of Santos, Lendeborg and Green has flashed notable offensive synergy this October, bringing a heap of connective playmaking that has often pried open the paint for back-cuts from Podziemski and rookie Lendeborg.
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“It’s a little different look than having a traditional big,” Kerr said, after the Warriors’ preseason win over Sacramento Saturday. “So, I like it. But it’s just – we’ve only played it a handful of minutes.”
They’ll play it plenty more, now, out of sheer necessity. Golden State is planning to keep 40-year-old Al Horford to around 20 minutes a game in 2026-27, Kerr said, making it hard to finagle rotations where he’s a consistent starter. The Warriors are encouraged by 25-year-old reserve Charles Bassey, but need more evidence that the five-year NBA journeyman can share the floor with Green offensively.
And, of course, there’s the ongoing mystery of Kristaps Porzingis and his availability, which should have an answer sooner than later. Kerr said Porzingis will be at Chase Center Tuesday – as the Warriors are in Las Vegas for a preseason game against the Lakers – to meet with Golden State director of performance Rick Celebrini and the rest of the Warriors’ medical staff.
That’s something. For two weeks, since general manager Mike Dunleavy announced Sept. 28 that Porzingis would be out indefinitely with a health issue, Kerr has appeared in the dark on where Porzingis is and what exactly he’s dealing with.
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When asked Monday if he knew where Porzingis has been recently – in the Bay Area or out of the country – Kerr declined to comment, citing Porzingis’s privacy.
Kerr’s admission about the Warriors’ likely season-opening starting unit, though, is further evidence that the 31-year-old Porzingis won’t be ready to start the season. And perhaps longer.
“All that will be determined once we get him back here, and have discussions, and figure out where he is, all that stuff,” Kerr said Monday, asked if Porzingis would be able to play in the regular season.
For now, the Warriors have settled on a five-man combination that could ease the defensive burden on Green with the length of its collective frontcourt. The 6-foot-7 Santos is only picking up importance to this Warriors rotation by the week, and has looked stout defensively guarding wings this preseason. Rookie Lendeborg, meanwhile, has a definite defensive learning curve but has flashed help-side destructiveness, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan.
Trail Blazers center Branden Carlson keeps the ball away from Golden State Warriors forward Charles Bassey during a preseason game on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Portland. (Ali Gradischer/Associated Press)
It’s still a tall order, though, to ask the 36-year-old Green to grapple with opposing centers nightly. Kerr’s ability to Frankenstein a 48-minute center rotation out of Green, Horford, any active version of Porzingis, Bassey and two-way rookie Graham Ike will be one of the defining challenges of this Warriors season.
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Meanwhile, Stephen Curry will ramp up to some second-half action against the Lakers Tuesday after playing minimally throughout this preseason, Kerr said. Horford won’t make the trip to Vegas, as part of regularly scheduled maintenance.
Roster move:
The Warriors cut preseason standout Miles Kelly from their training-camp roster Sunday to make room for former Grizzlies forward Tyler Burton. Kelly will head to the G League after Santa Cruz acquired his rights in late September. He could make some noise after shining in a 24-point, six-three performance against the Trail Blazers last week.
The 25-year-old Burton played 12 games last season for Memphis last season, averaging 10.8 points in 25.6 minutes per game. A 6-foot-7 wing, Burton spent four collegiate seasons at Richmond before starting for Villanova in 2023-24.
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This article originally published at Kerr ‘leaning toward’ small-ball Warriors lineup to open season with Porzingis absent.
