Season (and Lakers game) Preview: Dubs rise again!

Warriors start with a tough schedule and roster in flux, but hopes are sky high

The Golden State Warriors are set to enter another season with yet another chance for Steph Curry and crew to add to an already impressive legacy. At this point, Golden State is playing with house money, hoping that a second year with Jimmy Butler plus newly acquired veteran, Al Horford will be enough to stay relevant in an aggressively changing NBA.

And of course, in the “if it was easy, everyone would win” category of news, the Warriors are already contending with some injuries. This will be a long haul of a season, so expect to see lots of injury updates throughout the roster. Tonight, Moses Moody is out. He had a strong preseason prior to injuring his calf muscle. Though the Warriors don’t telegraph this as a serious injury, it does call into question how much lineup stability will matter to such a veteran-heavy roster.

The big news is that both Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga are seemingly cleared to play. Remember that the Warriors went 23-8 to conclude the season after the trade that brought Butler in. Now, with a full off-season (though slightly disrupted by injury) the hope is that the Warriors will enter the season with a forceful hello.

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GAME DETAILS

WHO: Golden State Warriors (0-0) at Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)

WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2026; 7pm PST

WATCH: ugh… Peacock? what the… also YouTube TV (with blackouts) - guess I’m going to a bar

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A little bit new, a lot of old, and some with something to prove

When thinking about this season’s roster, the most notable change will be at a center position that has never been a focal point for coach Steve Kerr. But there has been a fundamental shift at the core of the Golden State lineup. Longtime fan favorite and all around good guy, Kevon Looney is gone; in his place comes Al Horford - a wily vet that can stretch the floor, but passes and defends like Andrew Bogut. He’s super old, and will likely play limited minutes, but much like Looney, Golden State expects those select minutes to be critical to their success this season.

Whether he starts or not, Horford can expect to slot in around the pre-existing core. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and now Jimmy Butler, will serve as the fulcrum around which all else will pivot. Horford will almost certainly be the fourth Power Ranger (or whatever), and that’s where the season’s intrigue really begins.

Without Moody, the opening starter slot is open. Kerr has signaled lightly that Brandin Podziemski will get the nod, but those rotations are far from set. Much of this will come down to what Kerr and the Warriors think they’ll need on any given night. Kuminga will be one of the considerations. He ended his extended holdout by agreeing to a two-year, $48.5 million contract (with a team option) that both sides have said publicly will be torn up after the season; which leaves the entire situation a bit… tense.

Those wing minutes are not promised to Kuminga though, there’s a bunch of other players that will all be vying for a slice of the action. Some of this tension is intentional, designed to alleviate the pressure on the aging core. But to start the season tonight, Golden State won’t have the full suite of potential options at their disposal. In addition to Moody, the Warriors are still waiting for De’Anthony Melton to make his return from last season’s knee injury, and will be doing a weird dance with Seth Curry all season in order to work around some salary cap issues.

Podz will feature heavily in Kerr’s plans, both as a stopgap measure for when the starting unit needs help, as well as one of the core bench pieces around which the rest of the rotational plans are built.

The other main edges are mostly predictable. Buddy Hield is back, for better or worse. His profligate deep shooting ways are a blessing and a curse, but for a team so hungry for shooting, Hield is going to find plenty of opportunities to put his unique brand of basketball prowess on display. When Seth Curry and Melton are available, this will be less of a lock, but expect a lot of opportunities for Buddy to start the season. So too will Gary Payton II find his comfortable way into Kerr’s rotation. Maybe some of the new additions unlock new ways of utilizing the unique guard, but one way or another, Payton’s poise and athleticism are going to earn him opportunities on this squad.

There’s a couple of other returning players that are certainly going to find themselves being called on to help Golden State - especially early in the season when things are less settled. Quintin Post is one of the most intriguing stories from last season. Though not known especially as a shooter in college, his ability to stretch the floor was a revelation in his first season - and now that he can be paired with someone like Al Horford? Whew. The possibilities swirl!

Another player in the front court that isn’t as traditionally exciting is Gui Santos. The hustle-first-ask-questions-later player is a classic “Kerr guy” and will probably be looked to if/when the team gets mired in one of those mid-season doldrums.

Finally, we have the impressive wing, Will Richard. He was a preseason standout, and especially with the lack of Moody and Seth Curry will be heavily considered for some wing minutes. The Warriors haven’t done a great job at hitting on their highest picks, but another non-lottery gem (Richard was the 56th overall pick) feels just about right for this scrappy era of Warriors ball.

For all the variables - age, health, chemistry, and cap gymnastics - there’s still that unmistakable feeling around Golden State that they’re not done yet. This version of the Warriors may not light up the standings every night, but they’ve got enough pride, pedigree, and weirdness to make things interesting. The real question is how long that spark can last; and whether this mix of vets and upstarts can find one more gear together. What do you think: are the Warriors reloading, or just playing out the string?

Prediction

The Lakers are going to be a challenge, but as has been the case for most of his career, Steph and his team should prevail. Also, maybe I’ll pay for a peacock subscription, because bar bills are going to add up.