5 Questions Golden State Warriors Must Answer this Preseason
The Golden State Warriors unofficially opened their 2025-26 campaign on Sunday, when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 111-103, in their first preseason game.
In just 15 minutes, Stephen Curry went for 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He was flying around off the ball, hitting his signature quick-catch-and-shoot threes and generally played like he was in mid-season form.
But Curry hasn't been a question for the Warriors for over a decade. Barring injury, we know what he can and will provide.
It's the roster around him that feels unproven after an offseason of uncertainty. And though there were some bright spots in Sunday's win, there's still a lot to learn about Golden State's supporting cast over the rest of this preseason.
Who Fills Out the Starting Five?
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Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are the no-brainers for the Warriors' starting five. The other two spots feel up for grabs.
On Sunday, they were occupied by Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski. The former went for 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and looked ready to settle into a quintessential three-and-D role. The latter had four assists in 18 minutes, was plus-16 and showed the general feel for the game that has made him a Steve Kerr favorite for as long as he's been in the NBA.
Both are the kind of unselfish, additive talents who won't frustrate the system. And they could certainly hang onto these spots into the regular season.
But this lineup deploys Draymond at the 5. And while he has plenty of experience there over the years, he's now 35. And the 6'6" utility man hasn't grown recently.
That would mean Golden State being overwhelmed on the boards against plenty of opponents. They lost that battle in the first half on Sunday, despite L.A. missing two of its best rebounders in Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
The recently signed Al Horford is even older than Draymond (he just turned 39 this summer). At 6'9" he's undersized in a lot of matchups. And he's never been a dominant rebounder himself. But starting him at the 5 would bump Draymond to his natural position. It would also add more variety to the offense, giving it another post-passing hub like it once had with Andrew Bogut.
There are reasonable arguments to start either Buddy Hield (for shooting consistency), Jonathan Kuminga (for a little more athletic pop) or De'Anthony Melton (for perimeter defense) too.
Perhaps the takeaways are that the Warriors now have the benefit of being able to deploy different lineups based on matchups. And despite spending most of the offseason sitting on their hands, they suddenly have several viable options for two spots in the starting five.
They may not come to a definitive answer over the course of the preseason, but they also might not need to.
What Is Kuminga's Role?
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It took the entire offseason for the Warriors to come to terms on a deal with Kuminga. And by the time they got there, the news came with a series of qualifiers we've never really seen for a restricted free agent.
In his story on the signing, ESPN's Shams Charania shared that Kuminga waived his implicit no-trade clause, implying the front office isn't done looking for his new home.
And of course, finding that will be a lot easier if Kuminga plays better basketball than he has to this point in his career. That could mean a more consistent role than Kerr's been willing to give him in the past, even if it's not in the starting five.
For Kuminga, it should mean more buy-in, regardless of who's on the floor with him. If Kerr plays him with the stars, he needs to be willing to narrow his focus to defense, ball movement and opportunistic finishing. If he's among other reserves, a bit more aggression and creativity would probably be fine.
For what it's worth, he looked ready to play that way on Sunday. He only logged 15 minutes, but several were with Curry in the second quarter. And he had more assists (four) and rebounds (six) than shot attempts (three).
If, over the next few weeks, he continues to show a willingness to modulate his output, he'll either boost his trade value or make himself closer to indispensable for the team that drafted him.
Where Will the Rebounding Come From?
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Golden State wound up with one more board than the Lakers on Sunday, but in the first half, when the regulars for both teams were still playing, L.A. came out on top.
And again, LeBron and Luka weren't even playing.
Regardless of who starts in the frontcourt with Draymond, in games against bigger teams like the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder or Houston Rockets, the Warriors could get rocked in this category.
And there aren't a lot of options currently on the roster to address the problem. Or at least there doesn't appear to be. If Moody and Podziemski look like dominant rebounders, relative to their size and position, throughout the preseason, the concern may wane a bit.
If it doesn't, the target in a Kuminga trade might need to be a traditional big who can clean the glass.
Youth or Veterans?
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Podziemski (22) and Moody (23) may have enough experience now that this isn't quite the same dilemma it's been over the years, but there are still veterans on the roster who might provide steadier hands for the rotation.
Horford is obviously one of those. Hield's game isn't always steady, but he's entering his 10th NBA season. If the preseason shows that Podziemski, Moody, Kuminga and Quinten Post still have some growing pains to play through, Kerr may be more inclined to focus on the older players on the team.
If, on the other hand, the younger core looks ready for more responsibility and more capable of playing system-friendly, winning basketball, Golden State might be able compete now while also prepping for the future.
Is This a Title Contender?
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Now, this one may be a bit of a stretch. The Warriors don't have to know whether they're legitimate title contenders before the preseason ends, but they've already spent too much of Curry's post-prime career hovering through the middle of the West.
If Horford jells with Curry, Butler and the supporting cast right away, it could inform how aggressively the team looks to add more talent before the trade deadline in February.
Lack of chemistry could lead to desperation too.
There's also a chance that things look best when Kuminga is in action. That could snuff out the idea of a big trade altogether.
At the outset of Curry's age-37 campaign, plenty is on the table for the Warriors. And this preseason should give us a chance to sort through much of it.
