‘Twas only the first game of the preseason, but if it was a portent of the season to come for the Golden State Warriors, it wasn’t a particularly hopeful indicator.
Granted, both Steph Curry (10 points) and Draymond Green (two assists, two steals) played a shade under 15 minutes and saw a grand total of zero second-half action. But the depth behind them, while showing flashes of promise, did not inspire confidence.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had a measly four points on 1-of-6 shooting but was able to haul
in nine boards. A particular aspect of his game that showed some intrigue was his passing in the pick-and-roll:
Yaxel’s PnR passing. Intriguing. https://t.co/grVHv87gOm
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 5, 2026
Head coach Steve Kerr did, however, emphasize the need for Lendeborg to be more aggressive in terms of scoring and looking for his own offense. Considering the dearth of offensive options on the team, it’s imperative that Lendeborg establish his role on the pecking order immediately on that end of the floor.
Steve Kerr mentioned an early third quarter Yaxel Lendeborg mistake where he tried to fit in a pass instead of attempting a layup, leading to turnover and transition 3. “We need him to have an aggressive scoring mentality and that’s something we are going to work with him on.” https://t.co/oN8SJ4eSUj
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 5, 2026
It was a sentiment that Curry echoed after the game:
Asked Steph Curry how Yaxel Lendeborg needs to balance his feel for the game with aggressiveness: “We don’t want anything passive.” Really insightful breakdown in his full answer https://t.co/4E5xGkP25g
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 5, 2026
Offseason signing Brandon Williams was reportedly very speedy and shifty — with an incredibly high motor, to boot — during practices. Needless to say, he lived up to his rather rapid billing immediately, while promising to bring the much-needed change of pace in the halfcourt that the Warriors have sorely needed:
Dubs go to their "Thumb out" set for Brandon Williams. The get action gives him the downhill momentum for the paint touch and finish at the rim. Such a welcome addition he’s been proving to be so far. https://t.co/0eqPjqYH8w
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 5, 2026
All in all, save for a few eye-catching moments, this collective performance was overall nondescript. Few things stood out as legitimately mouthwatering. The advertised “5-out” offense that Kerr promised was obvious in the manner in which it was clearly a work in progress. One of the more intriguing aspects of that revamped approach was directly using the five-man as a bring-up ball handler, flowing into an inverted pick-and-roll with the floor spread, and dishing to the screener for a three, as shown below involving Al Horford as the ball handler and Curry as the screener — leading to Curry’s first preseason three:
Going straight into a spread inverted ballscreen for Steph Curry’s first preseason three. https://t.co/Jy74aQkUlS
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 4, 2026
There was also this exquisite after-timeout (ATO) set drawn up by Kerr, using Williams’ speed and downhill momentum to create a paint touch and lob opportunity for Gary Payton II:
Nasty "Finland" -esque set with the rip screen for GP2, weak-side corner emptied, and Williams with the lob for GP2. Again, the downhill actions will favor Williams’ speed, motor, and ability to do damage in the paint. https://t.co/sliF4npcHu
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 5, 2026
Not much else can be said of the tilt, with second stringers, third stringers, and camp invitees rounding out the rest of the game in what was, to no one’s absolute surprise, a meaningless result. The process, however, provided some early insight behind what is to come during the regular season.
Needless to say, they will have their work cut out for them if they hope to garner, at the very least, a play-in appearance — let alone, a playoff spot.
The Warriors will next meet the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on Tuesday, the front end of a preseason back-to-back slate.
