Golden State WarriorsGolden State look for support for Curry
Curry remains the benchmark, but the Warriors must rebuild their continuity. Bench support and the availability of their key players will shape their start to the season.
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The Golden State Warriors finished the 2025–2026 season with 37 wins and 45 defeats, 10th place in the West and an exit in the play-in tournament.
Finding a way back into the playoffs
Steve Kerr returns with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green after a season that ended without a playoff appearance. The Warriors must rediscover continuity. Their experience remains an asset, but a long season also demands reliable back-ups who can hold the game together when Curry leaves the floor.
per game
per game
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New arrivals to widen the options
Yaxel Lendeborg, Georges Niang and Brandon Williams are the group's main arrivals. Lendeborg brings a new wing profile, Niang a shooting threat and Williams back-up in creation. The place they earn will depend on how they fit into the system. The group also keeps several young players whose responsibilities may change as games go on.
- →Yaxel LendeborgYaxel Lendeborg · joins the squad
- →Georges NiangGeorges Niang · joins the squad
- →Brandon WilliamsBrandon Williams · joins the squad
Six offensive reference points in the current squad
Points per game, 2025–26 regular season, all teams combined. Six selected players, not an exhaustive ranking.
Stephen Curry, at the heart of the play
Our projection keeps Curry as the main focal point. Green can act as a playmaker and Kristaps Porziņģis can offer an inside option who drifts away from the rim. These profiles allow several pairings; how effective they are depends on ball movement and on the commitment of the other players. Being in the squad does not confirm availability for the opener.
23 % of the team's points averages
16 % of the team's assists averages
Ratios of per-game averages for 2025–26; the player and the team did not necessarily play the same number of games. SNA orders of magnitude, not official shares of the totals.
A bench that cannot simply wait for Curry
Brandin Podziemski can take on more responsibility with the ball. De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Will Richard and Moses Moody offer perimeter combinations, Gui Santos minutes on the wings and Al Horford interior back-up. This is our projection of roles, not a confirmed rotation. Jimmy Butler III is in the squad, but as of 22 September a return during the season was envisaged after his knee surgery: that dated timeline is not a current medical confirmation, and his integration should not be announced for the first game.
Creation
On the wings
Inside
SNA season projection, not an official starting five or a guaranteed opening-night line-up. Availability checked on 15 October: pre-season estimates, not confirmation for the opener.
Three-point shooting, player by player
2025–26 regular season, all teams combined. Red line: club average, 35.6%. Selected players with at least one attempt per game.
Availability: the dated picture
As of 14 October, Butler and Moody were listed as out, with Porziņģis, Horford and Green day-to-day. Return dates are estimates: the role projection above concerns the season, not a guaranteed available line-up for the opener.
The squad: 21 players
Official preparation list consulted on 14 October. It includes camp players and guarantees neither a final contract nor a place in the rotation. The positions below follow the club's categories, which are broader than the roles envisaged on court.
| Player | Status | Pts | Reb | Ast | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guards | |||||
| Gary Payton II | – | – | – | – | |
| Brandin Podziemski | 13.8 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 37.1 % | |
| Will Richard | – | – | – | – | |
| Moses Moody | Out | 12.1 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 40.1 % |
| De'Anthony Melton | – | – | – | – | |
| Brandon Williams | Newcomer | – | – | – | – |
| LJ Cryer | – | – | – | – | |
| Stephen Curry | 26.6 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 39.3 % | |
| Forwards · versatile positions | |||||
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Newcomer | – | – | – | – |
| Jimmy Butler III | Out | 20 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 37.6 % |
| Gui Santos | – | – | – | – | |
| Dalen Terry | – | – | – | – | |
| Alex Toohey | – | – | – | – | |
| Georges Niang | Newcomer | – | – | – | – |
| Malevy Leons | – | – | – | – | |
| Centres and bigs | |||||
| Kristaps Porzingis | Uncertain | 16.7 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 33.8 % |
| Al Horford | Uncertain | – | – | – | – |
| Draymond Green | Uncertain | 8.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 32.6 % |
| Charles Bassey | – | – | – | – | |
| Graham Ike | – | – | – | – | |
No SNA profile available: Tyler Burton (forward). These names complete the 20 players in the table. 2025–2026 averages, all teams combined, for the six documented players; they were not all recorded with their current club. "–": unverified data, or three-point volume below one attempt per game. Availability as of 15 October: preseason estimates, not confirmation for the opener. Being on the camp roster guarantees neither a final contract nor playing time.
Defensive organisation matters as much as shooting
In his interview published by NBC Sports Bay Area on 18 September, Monte Poole relays Kerr's thoughts on his work and the organisation of the staff, with Frank Vogel in charge of defence. For the Warriors, the task is collective: to get better at handling opposing possessions, then to produce structured attacks even when Curry is not on the floor.
The weapons
- Curry's gravitational pull.
- Creation relays still to be developed.
The work in progress
- Reliance on the core players.
- Availability still uncertain.
An ambition that demands support
Returning to the playoffs is a coherent goal for a group that still has high-level veterans. The weakness to watch is the reliance on their presence and their efficiency. The start of the season will show whether Podziemski and the newcomers can run useful sequences without leaving all the creation to Curry. That would allow Kerr to spread responsibilities ahead of the spring run-in.
Returning to the playoffs is a coherent goal for a group that still has high-level core players.
Benchmark: assess the combinations over several weeks, without turning the preseason into an established pecking order.
The first regular-season game is against the Lakers in Los Angeles on 22 October at three o'clock in the morning, Brazzaville time (two o'clock UTC). The game is played on the evening of 21 October in the United States. Schedule checked on 14 October and subject to change.
Find the Golden State Warriors profile and the page for the first game.
Thursday 22 October 2026 at 03:00, Brazzaville time · match centre
- The team’s live schedule appears here.
Countdown to tip-off.