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On the record
Called Shots →Golden State's apron-basis team salary is still above the first apron of $209,015,000 on opening night of the 2026-27 season.
Georges Niang appears in fewer than 40 regular-season games for Golden State in 2026-27.
Yaxel Lendeborg is in Golden State's starting lineup for its 2026-27 season opener on October 21, 2026.
Yaxel Lendeborg averages more than 24.0 minutes per game for the Golden State Warriors in the 2026-27 regular season.
The Golden State Warriors record more than 346 total blocks in the 2026-27 regular season.
Graham Ike appears in at least 20 regular-season games for the Golden State Warriors in 2026-27.
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.
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.
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
Lendeborg's minus 33 is mostly a number about Curry's minutes without him
Basketball-Reference lists Yaxel Lendeborg at -33.1 On-Off through ten games, next to a PER of 20.2 and a true shooting percentage of .630. The number is two team results subtracted: Golden State is about 3 points per 100 possessions worse than its opponents in his 323 minutes and 20 to 30 better in the 162 minutes he sits. A replay of ESPN's play-by-play puts the on-court figure at -2.5 and the gap at 22. Curry was on the floor for 120 of the 162 off minutes, and those 120 minutes are plus 60. Curry's presence beside Lendeborg does not move the rookie's own on-court number; Draymond Green's presence moves it 19 points down and Georges Niang's 16 points up. The off column is about 320 possessions, and a bootstrap over the replayed stints puts its 90 percent range at plus 2 to plus 38 per 100.
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.
Lendeborg leads the Warriors in minutes, and Sunday starts a back-to-back
Golden State is 2-3 after five games, four of them on the road, and plays its next six at home: the Lakers on Friday, October 30, the Clippers on Sunday, November 1, Phoenix on Monday, November 2, then Miami, Orlando and New Orleans through November 9. Sunday and Monday are the second back-to-back of the season. On the first, October 23 and 24, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Brandin Podziemski did not play the second night and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg played 37 and 36 minutes. By ESPN box scores Lendeborg has played 168 minutes in five games, 29 or more in every one, the most on the team. He carried a foot listing into Wednesday's win at Minnesota and played 35 minutes.
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.
Steve Kerr Floated A Starting Lineup With A Rookie At Small Forward
Steve Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area on September 3 that he would not predict a record, and in the same conversation named the lineup question he has to answer in camp: Yaxel Lendeborg at small forward, Draymond Green at power forward, Kristaps Porzingis or Al Horford at center. Kerr also said out loud that he cannot count on his older players for 82 games. Those four played 171 of a possible 328 last season, when Golden State went 37-45. Jimmy Butler, who turns 37 on September 14, is not expected back until the second half; Moses Moody is not expected back until 2027. Two takes filed, on Lendeborg's minutes and on how many games the four veterans reach.
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.