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The Golden State Warriors are mostly running it back from last season’s disappointing 37-45 campaign, as they did not make many meaningful changes to the roster that missed out on the postseason during the 2025-26 season.
This is not the worst thing in the world anyhow; getting a healthy season from Stephen Curry would already change a lot for a team that struggled to create much on offense with Curry and Jimmy Butler both injured.
At the very least, there aren’t going to be many high expectations for the Warriors heading into the new campaign. Butler is still on the sidelines, their aging roster just got a year older, and they whiffed on LeBron James in free agency. Butler is coming off a torn ACL and won’t be back until perhaps early in 2027. Curry is already 38 years of age.
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Nonetheless, the lack of expectations means that the Warriors can just mind their own business and perhaps surprise the NBA world in a way that’s not too dissimilar to how they competed for the 2022 title. With that goal in mind, head coach Steve Kerr has to be looking closely at a few position battles, namely at shooting guard and small forward, as he figures out a way to maximize the talent he has at his disposal.
Here is the one Warriors player who may have to impress in training camp to secure his starting spot for next season.
Can Gui Santos lock down his starting spot?
The biggest roster sore spot for the Warriors last season in the aftermath of Butler’s torn ACL was at small forward. The Dubs did not have too many natural wings on the roster, and Gui Santos became a very important player for Golden State as a result.
He went from getting a small spot in the team’s rotation to starting on most nights and playing upwards of 30 minutes. Of the games he played following Butler’s injury, he started all but six games he played in — with Kerr only mixing and matching depending on matchups.
Santos has emerged as a true developmental win for the Warriors, as he plays his role with not much fuss, making open shots and keeping the ball moving. He does the dirty work without complaining. This is what Kerr wants from players who aren’t good enough to command plenty of touches, and Santos certainly impressed Kerr towards the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Santos has the prototypical size and length for a wing, and he figures to play a huge role for the Dubs this year. Heading into the 2026-27 season, it looks like he should be the starter at small forward once again.
However, the Warriors drafted a small forward during the 2026 NBA Draft, selecting Yaxel Lendeborg from Michigan. Lendeborg is about as far from a project as a 2026 NBA draftee can be. In fact, Lendeborg will be turning 24 years old on September 30 — exactly three weeks before the Dubs start their 2026-27 campaign on the road against Los Angeles Lakers.
Suffice to say, the Warriors aren’t waiting for Lendeborg to make an impact; they expect him to start contributing from day one of his NBA career. And considering that the Dubs chose to select Lendeborg instead of trading that pick for a more established contributor on the NBA-level, it might be in the franchise’s best interest to invest in him as much as they could.
Santos can still win the starting spot out of training camp, as Kerr still values someone with experience in the Warriors system. The Dubs operate with flexibility anyway, as they tend to mix up their lineups depending on matchups and depending on the hot hand.
But knowing that the Warriors are invested in Lendeborg as a long-term starter in the NBA, and knowing that he’s already older than Paolo Banchero (just to name an All-Star who already has four NBA seasons under his belt), it will take an incredible training camp for Santos to keep Lendeborg at bay.
Will Brandin Podziemski make the leap? Who starts at center?
Podziemski is heading into the start of the 2026-27 season as the favorite to win the starting shooting guard job. At just 23 years of age, there could very well be a huge leap in the cards for Podziemski, who played in all 82 games last season and started 43 of them.
He ended last season with averages of 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest. Considering that the Dubs still have a high-usage void with Butler out injured, Podziemski could end up filling some of their need for offensive firepower — especially with Kristaps Porzingis expected to be in and out of the lineup.
But again, the Warriors tend to mix and match their lineups. They brought back De’Anthony Melton, who is a candidate to earn a starting role as well. However, Melton is another one who tends to go in and out of the lineup due to injuries, playing in only 49 games last season.
Podziemski is also going to be playing for a huge contract, as his rookie deal will be expiring at the end of the 2026-27 campaign. Thus, the circumstances may be lining up for him to put up a career year as he heads into his prime.
As for who the Warriors start at center, one would think that Kristaps Porzingis has the inside track at that role considering that they brought him back on a two-year, $40 million contract. Porzingis started 11 of the 15 games he played for the Dubs in the regular season last year, and he started both play-in games as well.
As long as he’s healthy enough to play, Porzingis should draw the bulk of starts for the Dubs. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors need a reliable second scoring option, and Porzingis provides spacing and rim protection when he’s physically able to.
He averaged 16.1 points per contest for the Warriors last season, and the scoring threat he provides alongside Curry should make him a valuable weapon for this team. Al Horford is now 40 years of age, and while he’s still capable of starting a few games here and there, a bench role seems to be perfect for him at this stage of his career.
Alas, Porzingis will miss the start of training camp with an undisclosed injury, and Horford could very well start the season as the starter at center — with Charles Bassey backing him up. Playing Green at the five, with Lendeborg and Santos starting together, can always be an option for the Dubs.
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