Warriors open season vs. Lakers with rookie Yaxel Lendeborg starting
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The gist
Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg will start his NBA debut for the Warriors against the Lakers on Wednesday.
Golden State is missing Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis, so the lineup is unsettled.
Background
The Golden State Warriors are the NBA team coached by Steve Kerr and led by point guard Stephen Curry, a four-time champion and two-time MVP who is 38 and entering his 18th season. They open the 2026-27 season against the Lakers on Wednesday, aiming to bounce back from a turbulent campaign last year in which a late-season slide left them short of expectations. Golden State is without Jimmy Butler (torn ACL last year) and Kristaps Porziņģis (out indefinitely), with Moses Moody also among the injured, which is why the starting five has been in flux through the preseason.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026In the final preseason game against the Trail Blazers, Golden State started Draymond Green and Charles Bassey together for the first time that preseason, with Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg also starting and Gui Santos coming off the bench. Kerr said the starters would play 25-30 minutes.
- Oct 20, 2026Draymond Green told CNBC he would love to retire a Golden State Warrior but is "also not Steph Curry" and doesn't have every luxury Curry has.
- Oct 21, 2026Brandin Podziemski was expected to miss the season opener against the Lakers with lower back soreness, forcing a lineup change; the projected five was Curry, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green.
- Oct 21, 2026Yaxel Lendeborg was set to make his NBA debut as a starter in Wednesday's opener, with the starting lineup and final injury report confirmed after a last-minute Stephen Curry update.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Kerr had said he was "leaning toward" starting Curry, Podziemski, Santos, Lendeborg and Green, and explained he used Bassey over Santos in the preseason to see Green next to a center other than Al Horford.
- Analysts
- SI writer Joey Akeley argued the Warriors should start Santos so Lendeborg can play power forward, and that Melton should start even when Podziemski is healthy as arguably a better backcourt fit next to Curry.
- Caution
- Green said he would love to retire a Warrior but is "not Steph Curry" and doesn't have every luxury Curry has.
Still unverified
Kerr's final opening-night unit depended on late-breaking health availability, and Stephen Curry's status for opening night was still up in the air as he worked back from a preseason ailment; the preseason lineup change left doubt over who would start the regular-season opener.