For the Golden State Warriors, this six-game preseason slate carries more significance than a handful of exhibition games normally would.
Of course, Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors' veterans will see a limited workload over the next couple of weeks. With an 82-game season ahead, it's only natural that we won't see these players on the court for extended minutes. Steve Kerr has stated that Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford will only play the first half on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
But that doesn't mean we won't get some important glimpses of what this team, and its new offensive and defensive systems, can look like in 2026-27. With Kristaps Porzingis out, what few glimpses we get will take on even more importance. As the Warriors attempt to implement a five-out offensive system, they'll need all of their shooters hitting at a high and confident rate in order to keep this starting five viable. On the surface, that means the onus falls upon Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Horford to hit their shots.
But the real question mark here, heading into his 15th NBA season, is Green. Not only did his offensive efficiency and impact drop precipitously last season, but he's now entering the year on an expiring deal—meaning that every game will be another test for the veteran. If Green is able to work his way into Golden State's new offensive flow in the preseason, it will be a solid sign for his ability to stick in the starting lineup over the course of the campaign.
Draymond Green is a starter—now he needs to stave off whatever decline is coming for him
Needless to say, Green didn't have his best season in 2025-26. He still put up relatively well-rounded production—averaging 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists—but he was a net negative on the offensive end of the floor, shooting just 41.8% from the field and 32.6% from 3-point range.
In the Warriors' new system, it's been reported that Green will be asked to take his open perimeter opportunities more frequently. Rather than passing up the 3-point shots that come to him in the course of the offense, Golden State will be depending on him to sink them at a passable rate. They're obviously willing to live with some of the variance here, considering Green has shot just 33.1% from 3-point range over the past five seasons.
Green isn't the primary shooter in the Warriors rotation. But if he's going to find a way to stick on this team beyond this season, especially in a starting role, there's going to need to be some major improvement on that end of the court. His $27.6 million salary this season, while not immanently tradeable, is certainly a piece Golden State could move in a large trade if the necessity presents itself.
Green's pure numbers during the preseason won't matter—it's too small a sample size. But this six-game slate will be the first opportunity for the Warriors as a whole, including Green, to start to get truly acclimated to what the coaching staff is going to ask of them this season.
On the other end of the court, Golden State brought in Frank Vogel as Steve Kerr's top assistant, and he'll be tasked with implementing his perimeter-heavy, rim protection-dependent defensive scheme. It's unclear what that ultimately looks like if Porzingis is forced to miss extended time, as neither Green nor Horford has the same sort of height or range that the 7'2" Latvian does.
But no matter how it's ultimately expressed on the court, Green will certainly have a major role to play in the viability of the Warriors' defense as well.
As he enters his age-36 season, is it too much to ask of Green to adjust to new systems on both ends of the floor? Are the Warriors simply courting disaster by leaving Green in such a massive role? The preseason, at the very least, will give us some glimpses of the answers to those questions—even if it's too soon to put full stock in the performance of the team as a whole.
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