Steve Kerr makes big call on Golden State Warriors starting lineup for preseason opener

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has made a call on the starting lineup for his team’s opening preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Unsurprisingly, Draymond Green’s left ankle injury has opened up the opportunity for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney to play alongside high-profile offseason acquisition Chris Paul.

The NBA world will be prepared for its first look at the Golden State Warriors three-guard starting lineup featuring Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Speculation has been rife on the possible starting lineup combination since the 38-year-old’s arrival in late June, with Green’s ankle injury seemingly kicking the can down the road in regard to the Paul v Looney debate.

However, Kerr stopped short of guaranteeing that lineup’s place for the Warriors’ opening night matchup against Paul’s former team, the Phoenix Suns, on October 24 at Chase Center.

"“Those five guys will start the first game. But as I said in camp, we’re going to try a lot of different lineups throughout the exhibition season. They’ll start the first game and we’ll see after that. We’ve got to try a lot of different groups and see what we have,” Kerr said."

Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga and free agent addition Dario Saric have also been touted as starting lineup replacements for Green, with that pairing offering a more like-for-like replacement in terms of size.

Both Looney and Paul were asked about a potential bench role at media day on Monday. Their responses were rather positive, offering optimism to fans that the issue wouldn’t hinder the team’s on-court productivity.

The Warriors will play five preseason games starting on Saturday, with another battle against the Lakers on October 13 before two matchups with the Sacramento Kings and a further one against the San Antonio Spurs.