- Position
- F
- Number
- #15
- Age
- 24
- Pieces here
- 20
On the record
Called Shots →Yaxel Lendeborg is in Golden State's starting lineup for its 2026-27 season opener on October 21, 2026.
Lajae Jones signs a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors on or before opening night, October 21, 2026.
Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Will Richard combine for more total regular-season minutes for the Golden State Warriors in 2026-27 than Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis do.
Stephen Curry plays in three or fewer of the second games of the 15 back-to-backs on Golden State's 2026-27 regular-season schedule as dated on October 16, 2026 (October 24, November 2, November 19, December 23, December 28, January 7, January 13, January 22, January 28, February 10, March 2, March 10, March 17, March 25 and April 9). 'Plays' means any regular-season minutes in ESPN's box score. A back-to-back created later by the two undated games does not count.
Yaxel Lendeborg plays more total minutes than any other Golden State player across the Warriors' six home games of October 30 through November 9, 2026 (the Lakers, the Clippers, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando and New Orleans), by the sum of ESPN's box-score minutes. A tie for the most is WRONG. If any game is postponed, the claim is judged on the games played; if all six are postponed, VOID.
Brandin Podziemski averages 32.0 or more minutes per game across the Golden State games he plays in November 2026 (Pacific dates, November 1 through the home game against the Clippers on November 29), by the sum of ESPN's box-score minutes divided by the number of those games in which he logs a minute. A game he does not play does not count in either total. If he plays no November game, VOID.
Will Richard is in Golden State's starting five against the Miami Heat at Chase Center on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by ESPN's box score for event 401909937. If the game is not played that night, VOID.
Georges Niang plays at least 110 total minutes in Golden State's five games from New Orleans on Monday, November 9, 2026, through Dallas on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 (vs NOP, at HOU, at SAS, at NOP, at DAL), summing the whole-number minutes in ESPN's box score for each game. A game he does not play counts as zero. If any of the five is postponed past November 18, VOID.
On December 16, 2026, Basketball-Reference's 2026-27 on-off page for Yaxel Lendeborg shows an On-Off figure in the Difference block's ORtg column (the +/- per 100 possessions On minus Off value, which read -33.1 on November 9) better than -15.0, that is, a value greater than -15.0, covering Golden State's games played through December 15, 2026. If the page is not updated through December 15 when read on December 16, read it on the first later day it is, through December 20; if still not, VOID. If Lendeborg has not played in at least 10 of Golden State's games from November 9 through December 15, VOID.
Written about him
Richard's thumb opens a starting job, and Niang keeps winning from the bench
Golden State beat Phoenix, Miami and Orlando from November 2 to November 7 by a combined 30 points. Georges Niang came off the bench in all three, played just under 70 minutes and was plus 49, tied with Stephen Curry for the team's best. The starting five of Curry, Draymond Green, Yaxel Lendeborg, Brandin Podziemski and Will Richard was outscored by 25 in 13.5 minutes across Richard's two starts. Richard has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and is out against New Orleans on Monday, November 9, with no timetable; Gui Santos is listed as probable.
Green and Lendeborg are plus 53 apart and minus 40 together
Golden State has outscored opponents by 23 points through eight games, but it has been outscored by 40 in the 78.4 minutes Draymond Green and Yaxel Lendeborg have played together. Green is plus 34 in 81 minutes without Lendeborg, and Lendeborg is plus 19 in 177 minutes without Green. Gui Santos, who is out against Miami on Thursday, November 5, has been the one forward with whom the pair has outscored opponents.
The Warriors scored 122 on the night Curry, Green and Horford sat
Golden State opened 2026-27 at 0-3: 127-105 at the Lakers on October 21, 111-108 to Memphis on October 23 and 131-122 at Phoenix on October 24. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford played the first two and sat the third, the second night of a back-to-back, with Brandin Podziemski, who played only the Memphis game. By ESPN box scores the Warriors shot 41 percent in each of the two games the veterans played and 22 of 77 from three; on the night they sat the club shot 45 percent and 17 of 39. Opponents shot 136 of 253, 54 percent, across the three games. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led Golden State in minutes all three nights, 102 in total, with 29 against the Lakers, 37 against Memphis and 36 at Phoenix. The club is at Denver on Monday, and ESPN's injury notes of October 25 list Gui Santos questionable with left knee tendinitis, Brandon Williams and Charles Bassey probable, and none of the four veterans on the report.
Gui Santos has 11 of the 30 turnovers in Kerr's likely starting five
Steve Kerr made turnovers the subject of Monday's film session after counting about 90 through four preseason games; the box scores give 84. Through five games Golden State has 104, 20.8 a game, against 115 by its opponents. Last October the club had 110 in five exhibitions, then averaged 16.4 across its first five regular-season games and 15.7 across 82, team turnovers included, by ESPN's box scores. This fall the offense is new, which Kerr cited for holding off. Among the five Kerr is leaning toward for October 21, Gui Santos has 11 turnovers in 86 minutes across four games, after five in 71 minutes in last year's preseason and 1.5 a game last season. Podziemski has five, down from 14 last October, and Green three, down from 14. Kerr described Santos's place in that lineup as size and playmaking. Portland visits Chase Center on Friday for the last exhibition; Yaxel Lendeborg rolled his left ankle Tuesday and returned.
Porzingis is out indefinitely, and Bassey started when Green and Horford sat
The Warriors announced Wednesday that Kristaps Porzingis, who missed training camp and the first five preseason games, met with general manager Mike Dunleavy and Dr. Rick Celebrini at the practice facility on Tuesday and will remain out indefinitely due to the same health-related matter, but will be around the team. The club said it will give an update on a potential resumption of practice, playing status or timeline when available and appropriate. ESPN's Anthony Slater reported he is not cleared to practice. With Green and Horford resting in Tuesday's preseason game against the Lakers in Las Vegas, Charles Bassey started at center beside Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Yaxel Lendeborg and played 27 minutes with 12 rebounds, and Graham Ike played 12, in a 101-89 win. The season opens October 21 at the Lakers, with a back-to-back on October 23 and 24.
Kerr wants Green or Horford out there as often as possible. Saturday it was 37 of 48
Steve Kerr said after Monday's practice that he is leaning toward starting Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green on October 21, with Al Horford off the bench, as reported by Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. His reason was Horford's minutes: about 20 a game is the limit, and he wants Green or Horford on the floor as often as possible to anchor the defense. Saturday against Sacramento was the only preseason game Horford has played as a reserve. By NBA.com's substitution log, Green or Horford was on the floor for 37:32 of 48 minutes, both for 6:10, and neither for 10:28, of which Charles Bassey covered the last 8:09. Horford averaged 21.6 minutes across 45 games last season by ESPN's game log, 20.0 across the first 30, and did not play both nights of any of Golden State's 16 back-to-backs. The second and third games of the season are a back-to-back. Kristaps Porzingis is expected at Chase Center on Tuesday to meet the performance staff, and Kerr could not say whether he will be available for the opener. Horford is not traveling to Tuesday's game in Las Vegas, which Kerr called planned maintenance.
Al Horford is headed back to the bench he sat on for 32 games last season
Steve Kerr moved Al Horford out of Golden State's starting lineup before Tuesday's preseason game against the Lakers and said Horford will most likely come off the bench when the regular season starts, as reported by Anthony Slater of ESPN and Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Gui Santos replaced him, Draymond Green moved to center and Yaxel Lendeborg to power forward. Horford then did not play at all: Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing a team source, that he was scratched with a left knee contusion as a largely precautionary measure, and Slater reported he will not travel to Portland on Wednesday. The new five of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Santos, Lendeborg and Green played 4:54 together at the start of the game and outscored the Lakers 23-13 in that stretch, per ESPN's play-by-play. Golden State won 124-98 against a Lakers team on the second night of a back-to-back that did not play Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves or Walker Kessler. Horford started 13 of his 45 games for Golden State in 2025-26 and played more than 25 minutes in 14 of them. Kristaps Porzingis remains away from the team with what general manager Mike Dunleavy has called a health issue.
Kerr sat three starters at halftime and kept Yaxel Lendeborg on the floor
Golden State lost its preseason opener to the Clippers, 104-101, in Honolulu on Sunday, October 4. The five Steve Kerr named on October 1, Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford, started and played three minutes and 14 seconds together before the first substitution, per the NBA's play-by-play. Curry, Green and Horford played the first half only, at 12:58, 13:52 and 15:42. Lendeborg played 18:44, the most minutes of the 18 Warriors who appeared, and started the second half with Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos and Charles Bassey. He had four points on 1-of-6 shooting, a game-high nine rebounds and three assists. Kerr said afterward that Lendeborg was good and needs to be more aggressive. When Kerr named the five, he said he did not know whether it would start on opening night, and the reason he gave was Horford's age and minutes. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody did not play. Five preseason games remain before the October 21 opener at the Lakers.
Golden State's last two-way job went to a man it did not draft
Golden State signed Graham Ike, undrafted out of Gonzaga in June, to a two-way contract on September 21, filling the last of the three two-way slots the club had carried open since the summer. Inside the same 24 hours, Lajae Jones, the guard Golden State took with the 54th pick of the 2026 draft and never signed, was announced by Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italian first division. Ike and Jones played the same nine games on the same Golden State summer roster: Ike averaged 10.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, Jones 7.0 and 3.4 in 17.1. Two-way contracts are capped at three a team and pay $678,882 this season, and 79 of the league's 90 slots are now filled. The Warriors keep Jones's NBA rights while he plays abroad, which is the road Gui Santos took after Golden State drafted him 55th in 2022 and which ended with Santos starting 30 games last season. One take filed, on how much Ike plays.
The Warriors Are Counting On The Three Men Who Played The Most Minutes On A 37-45 Team
Steve Kerr told the Tom Tolbert Show on Friday that Golden State tried to get younger this offseason and could not, that nothing offered to the club made sense to him, and that depth is now the answer. He said the back end of the roster, including the two-way players, has to hold the fort until Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody return in the second half. Golden State's published schedule lists 80 regular-season games with dates, and 47 of them fall before February. The men Kerr named already carried the largest share of last season's minutes: Brandin Podziemski led the team at 2,333, and Gui Santos and Will Richard were fourth and fifth. Stephen Curry was sixth and Butler eighth. That arrangement produced 37 wins and 45 losses. Butler turns 37 on September 14 and is listed OUT. Two takes filed, on minutes and on Richard's starts.
Stephen Curry Played Ten Games Without Jimmy Butler Last Season. Golden State Went 4-6.
Golden State's 37-45 season splits four ways by who was available. With Curry and Butler both playing, the Warriors were 20-13 across 33 games. With neither, they were 10-24 across 34. The condition they open the 2026-27 season in, Curry available and Butler not, happened ten times last season and produced a 4-6 record. Butler is not expected back before early 2027 and Moody has no club timeline, which leaves 31.1 minutes a night at small forward and 25.7 at guard to be covered by Gui Santos, Will Richard, Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton and a rookie the club drafted eleventh. Two takes filed, on Yaxel Lendeborg's opening-night role and on how much of the season Butler plays.