SAN FRANCISCO ― A decade ago the Golden State Warriors were the clear-favorite to win a NBA title, now, 10 years later, many don't have them making the playoffs – and that's okay with them.
A shocking prediction, yes. But they are perfectly fine with not having those expectations as they step into the 2026-27 season with a fresh outlook.
Head coach Steve Kerr is back after contemplating retirement, signing a two-year extension with the Warriors. Golden State has practically the same roster as last year – returning nearly every key player, while adding Georges Niang and Brandon Williams.
"It's been a long offseason, too long, not making the playoffs last year. But I'm thrilled about starting the climb again, day one, and training camp. There's always
a sense of excitement," Kerr said. "I feel really good about this team, and I'm really optimistic. I love our guys, and I think we have a chance to have a really good year. There's a lot of really good players and a lot of good energy with what we're doing right now."
The Warriors finished with a 37-45 record but still managed to creep into the NBA Play-In tournament. They lost the elimination game for the No. 8-seed to the Phoenix Suns, however, marking just the second time since their 2022 championship that they missed the postseason.
Many experts predict the Warriors to have a similar record in the 2026-27 season, which makes sense seeing as they have a nearly identical team. USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes projects Golden State to finish 41-41 in the regular season, ninth in the Western Conference. ESPN predicts the Warriors to finishtwo games worse than last year at 35-47.
Players and coaches aren't paying attention to outside noise, however. Here are the main takeaways from Warriors Media Day on Monday, Sept. 28:
Warriors not a full strength
Golden State will start the 2026-27 season out at partial strength as players continue to nurse their injuries.
Warriors starting forward Jimmy Butler III has been rehabilitating a torn ACL he suffered last year. Moses Moody missed the final 22 games of the 2025-26 season with a torn patellar tendon but showed he can be a key rotational piece off the bench.
Neither Butler nor Moody will be suiting up on opening day, but they will travel with the team to Hawaii for training camp and preseason games. Another key player who will be missing is center, Kristaps Porzingis, who is out with an undisclosed health issue, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said.
Yaxel Lendeborg is a diamond in the rough
There's high hopes that Yaxel Lendeborg will make an immediate impact. The organization is high on the No. 11 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft – and for good reason.
Lendeborg helped lead the Warriors' summer league team to a title and earned MVP honors along the way. His awards might not stop there. He believes that he can make his way to an All-Rookie first team and even win Rookie of the Year.
His teammates had high praise for his skill and physique. Butler's thoughts on Lendeborg is that "he's (expletive) massive."
Teammate Al Horford complimented the rookie's work ethic and drive to be the best. He compared his talent-level to the skillset of former NBA forward Michael Beasley, who made the All Rookie team in 2009.
"Yaxel, extremely hard worker. You can tell he's dedicated. He's committed. He's hungry. He's here," Horford said. "We've been here for weeks now training together, and it's just been really nice just to see him putting in the time on the court, in the weight room, taking care of himself. He's already ahead of the game as a rookie coming in and just being mindful of how to prepare and take care of himself, so he's doing that."
Warriors to be careful with Curry in 18th season
Golden State is a completely different team with and without Stephen Curry. He missed 39 games last season with a lingering knee issue, and the Warriors went 13-26.
He's healthy now and pain free.
"Knee is feeling great, ready to go. No issues at all," Curry said. "There is a management element of it for sure where you just have to be mindful of everything that you're doing in practice, games, preparation. We haven't talked about the game schedule yet or anything like that where I'm kind of getting too far ahead of myself, but for training camp and the preseason schedule and getting myself into shape and ready to go, there's no limitations at all."
However, still in his 18th season, the Warriors plan to be cautious with their 38-year-old franchise leader.
"We're definitely going to manage his minutes as best we can," head coach Steve Kerr said about Curry's playing time. "That will be a conversation with Rick. It's one of the reasons, frankly, we signed Brandon Williams. We felt like we needed some speed, quickness to break down the defense, particularly in the games that Steph misses."
Warriors need 'strength in numbers'
The Warriors' "Strength in Numbers" mantra won them a title in 2015. They are nowhere close to being considered a championship contender but for Golden State to have any chance this season, it will need hone in on that phrase and bring it to life again.
With the amount of injuries that the Warriors currently face, it's more important that each player is ready to go when their name is called. Although Butler is down, guys like Lendeborg, Niang, Gui Santos and De'Anthony Melton are expected to be called upon heavily in his absence.
The Warriors will look for contributions from Brandon Williams, Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II while Moody, a two-guard who plays both sides of the floor, recovers. With Porzingis out, there will be concerted effort to get backup production from Al Horford, Charles Bassey and Graham Ike.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steph Curry ready to go for Warriors, but injuries will be factor early
