Three days into their training camp at BYU-Hawaii in Laie, the Golden State Warriors went through their first uncontrolled scrimmage. While continuing to put an emphasis on implementing a five-out system, limiting turnovers, and improving in transition, Steve Kerr and his coaching staff settled on a starting lineup for their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
The first 10 players to start the scrimmage were divided into two teams. The blue lineup consisted of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford — the five that will start on Sunday. Facing them was the yellow team, one that included Brandon Williams, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Gui Santos, and Georges Niang — what could form the second unit. Steve Kerr said he likes the versatility the blue team brings.
"Really good size on the front line, good playmaking, spacing from Al, all three of those guys — Al, Yaxel, BP — can all shoot the three but also make plays, it's a good well-balanced lineup," Kerr said after practice. "The question will be can we do that opening night? Given the age of Al and the minutes and all that stuff, who knows. But for now, that's how we'll start."
In a perfect world, Kristaps Porzingis, who was ruled out for training camp with an unspecified illness, would occupy the five position, and Horford would be coming off the bench, which would allow the staff to manage his minutes more. Golden State's center depth pieces, Charles Bassey and Graham Ike, aren't traditional space fives, but they've also been executing those actions and working on their outside shot.
Steve Kerr is looking for the best combinations
Kerr made it clear on the first day of camp that he wanted to pair his two cornerstones, Curry and Green, as often as possible. The legendary duo posted a +4.5 net rating in 889 minutes together last season and are considered the only two locks in the lineup. The other three spots are up for grabs, though a couple of players have emerged as the early frontrunners.
In the backcourt, Podziemski has turned a lot of heads so far. He looked very aggressive in the scrimmage, drawing fouls, hitting jumpers in a variety of ways, getting to the line, and leading with his voice on both ends. Towards the end of last season, the 6'4" guard put an emphasis on driving to the basket more, getting to the line at a higher rate, and shooting more threes.
Over his last 22 games, Podziemski averaged over 18 points per game, attempted over six threes per contest, and went to the line almost five times each night. In his fourth training camp with the Warriors, he's picked up right where he left off.
"He can dribble past you, you can put him in any spot, out of a timeout, really a versatile player and obviously crucial to make the whole thing work," Kerr said of Podziemski. "Three days in, he's had a great camp."
Podz buzzer beater 3 after a missed Steph Curry 3 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/0KmpWRRMlj
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 1, 2026
The other candidate for the role next to Steph, De'Anthony Melton, mentioned that he didn't really care whether he starts or comes off the bench. Collecting as many wins as possible and boasting a top-three defense in the league are his focal points. Pairing the lengthy guard with Steph has always seemed like a perfect fit, with Melton's elite point-of-attack defense and ability to play both off and on the ball being perfect complements to Curry's game. If Melton were to be a part of the second unit, his fit with his former high school teammate Brandon Williams, who's as shifty of a player as you'll see, would be an interesting one as well.
Yaxel Lendeborg gets early edge over Gui Santos
In the frontcourt, the first-round rookie got the initial edge over last year's standout Gui Santos. Everybody on the team has been raving about Lendeborg's ability to do it all offensively. From handling the ball to passing to shooting to making the right decisions, the 6'9" wing checks all the boxes.
His size and massive frame on the wing will be a big plus for the Warriors' defense, though he and his coach pointed out that he still needs to work on the details of the schemes implemented by Frank Vogel, such as when to switch or the off-ball rotation. Getting reps alongside veterans Green and Horford should serve the rookie well.
As Kerr repeated, nothing has been set in stone for the starting lineup. Santos showed in the second half of last season an impressive progression in his ability to create both for himself and others. The growth did come with growing pains — like every process does — as the young forward averaged more than two turnovers per game over his last 35 appearances. Now with more experience and reps under his belt, Santos has an opportunity to be one of the leaders of that second unit.
"For me it doesn't matter if it's a starting spot or starting on the bench," Santos told 95.7 The Game. "What really matters is when he calls me I got to get there and play my best."
"We're just looking for continued growth," Kerr said when asked what he wanted to see from Santos. "He's a focal point of our team, of our offense."
Reimagining their style of play on both ends of the floor has been the major talking point at camp so far. But one can truly start trusting the effectiveness of a system by seeing it in action. Their first test of the preseason should provide a more concrete vision of what that revolution looks like.
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