As soon as the Golden State Warriors enter 2026-27, they'll be entrenched in a waiting game of sorts.
This roster, as it's currently constructed, has enough talent to at least remain afloat in the race for the Play-In Tournament without Butler in the fold. Stephen Curry is of course still playing at a superstar level, and the combination of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Yaxel Lendeborg should provide enough of a boost to help Golden State carve out some wins early in the season.
But any hope they have of ultimately finding their way into a playoff berth depends not only on Butler's return around mid-season but also on him finding his form before the end of the regular season. If he's averaging close to 20 points per game and displaying much of the athleticism he had pre-injury, Golden State will be in a good place relative to expectations.
As of now, the Warriors' starting lineup seems like it will be as follows— Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Lendeborg, Draymond Green, and Porzingis. Perhaps De'Anthony Melton ultimately surpasses Podziemski for the starting spot as a result of his defensive upside. But other than that, things are relatively set in stone.
But if Butler's return comes sooner than anticipated, the Warriors will have a stark decision laid before them in the frontcourt. Do they want to pair Butler and Green, or do they see immediate upside in moving Green to the bench and pairing Butler and Lendeborg at the 3 and the 4?
Much of this will depend on the type of perimeter shooting upside Lendeborg flashes over the early portions of his rookie campaign, but there could be an enticing experiment ahead for the Warriors if everything works out in their favor.
Can Jimmy Butler and Yaxel Lendeborg coexist as a tandem in the Warriors' frontcourt?
The Butler-Green combination was an issue the Warriors faced almost as soon as Butler landed in The Bay Area. Green has never had consistent touch as a perimeter shooter, and he needs to be paired either with a floor-spacing center or a dynamic wing in order to maximize his defensive value and mitigate any offensive pitfalls in his game.
Butler had a career 3-point percentage of 32.8 by the time he finished his first season in Golden State, and although he hit his shots at a decent rate in a Warriors uniform, he's never presented the type of perimeter threat that the Warriors needed alongside Green. Moses Moody playing at the three provided some reprieve, but they won't have that option available to them, perhaps at all, this season.
But Golden State has a chance to test Lendeborg alongside Green this season, and Lendeborg's sheer offensive polish is promising. He shot 37.2% from beyond the arc on relatively solid volume last season at Michigan, and he has the physicality and the downhill driving ability to take advantage of closeouts on a routine basis.
Combined with Porzingis and Curry, the Warriors should have more than enough spacing to keep Green on the court for the early portions of the season.
But even if Butler takes on a bench role when he returns, there will be likely a time where Golden State is compelled to move him into the starting lineup. His status as a secondary scorer behind Curry guarantees it.
At that time, the best move might be to put him alongside Lendeborg instead of Green. The pairing would represent not only a highly physical frontcourt for the Warriors, but their combined rebounding and interior scoring efforts would present a package many teams would struggle to handle on a night-to-night basis.
It would be a test of Lendeborg's abilities as a shooter and a floor-spacer, but maybe that's exactly what the Warriors need. Of course, it's too soon to see how the season will unfold—and especially if Lendeborg will show enough upside as a perimeter shooter to truly merit this discussion. But it's a conversation worth having as we creep closer to the regular season.
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