After the first open practice of camp in Hawaii, Steve Kerr named the five players who will start Sunday against the Clippers.
The Golden State Warriors only needed one open practice in Hawaii to settle on a starting five, and head coach Steve Kerr did not keep anybody guessing.
After Thursday's session at BYU-Hawaii in Laie, Kerr confirmed that point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, forward Yaxel Lendeborg, forward Draymond Green and center Al Horford will start Sunday's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers in Honolulu.
That same group wore blue in Thursday's scrimmage, and Kerr liked the size on the front line, the playmaking from Curry and Green and the spacing Horford brings, while also noting that Horford, Lendeborg and Podziemski can all shoot threes and make plays.
Curry and Green Stay Together
Kerr had already said earlier in the week that Green would start next to Curry, and in Hawaii he gave the reason that pairing comes before everything else.
"I want to put those guys together because all the tape work we did last year, all the analytics, they all show that when those two guys are together, they're still at the top of the league," Kerr said in Hawaii, according to the SF Standard.
He has the data on his side.
The Warriors outscored teams by 5.5 points per 100 possessions when Curry and Green shared the floor last season, according to the SF Standard, and that came in a year when Golden State went 37-45 and finished 10th in the West.
Building around the one thing that still worked is the obvious move.
Lendeborg is the name that jumps out.
The No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft found out from reporters, not coaches, that he would be starting, and he now gets an early chance to show he can be a true X-factor for this team.
Can This Lineup Last?
Kerr called it a good, well-balanced lineup, but he also admitted the big question is whether it can hold up on opening night because of Horford's age and minutes.
Horford is 40 and Green is 36, and Horford played more than 25 minutes in just 14 of his 45 games last season.
Injuries had a lot to do with how this group came together.
Center Kristaps Porziņģis is out indefinitely with a health issue and did not travel to Hawaii, and Kerr said Thursday he had no new clarity on his status.
Forward Jimmy Butler is still months away from returning from the ACL he tore on Jan. 19, and guard Moses Moody is also injured.
So this is the best five Kerr can put out there right now, with shooting, passing, Curry and Green, but it probably will not stay together long if Porziņģis gets healthy or Horford needs his minutes cut.
What Comes Next
The Warriors face the Clippers on Sunday at Stan Sheriff Center, where the Clippers are the home team, and then they host the Lakers on Tuesday at Chase Center.
The regular season starts Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Sunday is the first time Kerr gets to see this group against somebody other than his own bench.
