Before the start of the regular season, the team at Warriors Wire came together to drop some bold predictions for the upcoming season specifically for the Golden State Warriors. Who will be the team MVP? Who will have a breakout season? Where will the Warriors finish in the standings? How will the season end? Tommy Call III and Mack Baltes of Warriors Wire teamed up to answer those questions before the highly-anticipated 2026-27 regular-season gets underway.
Tommy Call III - Warriors Wire:
MVP: Yaxel Lendeborg
Let me start off this by saying, anytime Stephen Curry is lining up for the Golden State Warriors he is almost unequivocally the MVP of whatever group suits up around him. Its an easy choice, and should come as almost no surprise, the Warriors will need Curry to play at an MVP level
to have any success in the 2026-27 campaign. But to offer a different opinion, I will be giving my preseason vote to Yaxel Lendeborg, and here's why.
For Stephen Curry to play at an MVP level, this team desperately needs a player like Lendeborg. A do-it-all big that can play inside or on the perimeter while posing as a legitimate scoring threat alongside Curry. To take some of the pressure off No. 30. However, how is Lendeborg going to handle the pressure himself? Lendeborg's stock has skyrocketed since being drafted by the Warriors at No. 11 overall in the 2026 NBA draft, or maybe even his stock began to jump from the moment he transferred from UAB To Michigan and won the NCAA Championship. However you want to put it, Lendeborg's last year has been a whirlwind. Now, in his first season in the NBA, he's gone from being a potential starter, to a Rookie of the Year candidate, to now, I am writing he's going to be the MVP for the Warriors' 2026-27 season.
While the hype might be getting to a bit of a ridiculous scale, Lendeborg has continued to deliver at every stop. Dating back from the change to junior college basketball to UAB to Michigan to the NBA Summer League MVP to an impressive preseason campaign. Lendeborg has not only checked each box, but impressed while doing so. So why count him out from impacting the Warriors at a high level as a rookie? If Lendeborg is able to deliver again, it will help unlock something the Warriors desperately need. If Lendeborg can serve as a true No. 2 option next to Curry while players like Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody are sidelined, and put the Warriors in a position to vie for a top-six seed in the Western Conference when those players return healthy, that will be enough to earn my vote for MVP.
Breakout Candidate: Gui Santos
Last season, when players like Steph Curry, Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler were sidelined with injury, and it felt like the Warriors' season was collapsing, Gui Santos was a ray of hope down the final stretch of the season. Over his final 32 games of the regular season, Santos averaged 15.2 points on 51% shooting from the field while adding 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. Over those last 32 games, Santos knocked down three of more 3-pointers in eight different games, including a performance with five made triples. What does that type of production look like around a healthy Stephen Curry, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green full time? We'll see. Yet, if Santos can continue to produce at that level in 2026-27, he's primed for a breakout campaign.
And, for the sake of arguing, let's say Santos' production dips offensively, he showed how he could still be a complement to Curry during his extended role last year. Santos can move without the ball well, making timely cuts, attacking the glass and also spacing the floor around Curry. He is also a willing rebounder and passer as a big. On defense, he has the size to defend wings and some forwards. Playing next to high level defenders like Draymond Green and Al Horford could benefit Santos' growth as a defender.
Record: 43-39 (7th Seed in West)
A lot will have to go right for the Warriors to be in a battle for a top-six spot in a competitive Western Conference. Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis will all need to return from injury absences and return to play at a high level alongside a healthy All-NBA caliber version of Stephen Curry. Could that all happen? Yes. Will their potentially be some bumps in the road? Of course. However, a healthy Butler and Curry alongside Yaxel Lendeborg is what this team bet on going into the season after missing on LeBron James. Will it be enough to punch a ticket to the top-six in the postseason? Maybe. But I do believe the combination of Curry, Lendeborg and Porzingis can help push the Warriors through the start of the season and secure a decent-enough record to put themselves in the play-in tournament. And if Curry is healthy alongside Butler, Moody, Porzingis while Lendeborg is potentially peaking, I give the Warriors a good chance of locking in a playoff spot in the play-in over some of teams they will be in competition with at the bottom of the Western Conference's postseason standings.
How The Season Ends: First Round Playoff Exit vs. Spurs
While writing these predictions, I feel like I have promoted a lot of positivity regarding the Warriors' upcoming season. Again, let me say, a lot would need to go right for the Warriors to secure a spot in the postseason, yet alone advancing through the play-in tournament. However, here is where that positivity stops. While I think It would be a win, and major positive for the Warriors to punch a ticket to the postseason, and give Stephen Curry another chance at a run through the postseason. Getting there will be the major battle. Now, advancing through the postseason against the top of the Western Conference feels like a major test. Barring a Curry explosion or a vintage Jimmy Butler playoff run, the Warriors seemed outmatched by some of the top teams in the West on paper, specifically the size and speed of the Spurs.
Mack Baltes - Warriors Wire:
MVP: Stephen Curry
It's not a surprise that Golden State will go as far as their former two-time MVP will take them. Stephen Curry has had the reins under Steve Kerr for over a decade, and that shouldn't change this season. Curry is still capable of performing as the best player on an NBA team; however, his supporting cast isn't as strong as it once was.
Breakout candidate: Yaxel Lendeborg
While some fans expect Brandin Podziemski to take a leap, Yaxel Lendeborg is the safest bet. Not only was he one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the 2026 draft class, he's also expected to be a starter throughout his rookie season. Brandon Williams deserves an honorable mention here because he has the ability to be a star in his role. That said, he isn't likely to breakout at the level that Lendeborg could.
Record: 39-43
While a healthy Stephen Curry is a lot to look forward to, the Warriors have plenty of other injury concerns, including Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody and most recently, Kristaps Porzingis. While a midseason acquisition could change the ceiling of this team, it's one of the West Conference's oldest rosters.
Standings: 10th in the Western Conference
While there's an outside chance the Golden State finishes 9th, or even 11th, don't be surprised if the Warriors sneak into the NBA Play-In Tournament one more time. While the Los Angeles Clippers may fall from the No. 9 seed last season, teams like the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans have plenty of talent and are likely to try and compete, considering the league's new anti-tanking rules.
How The Season Ends: Lose in the NBA Play-In Tournament
If Golden State were to earn the No. 10 seed, they'd be large underdogs in the Play-In Tournament, unless they made a midseason trade, which could very well happen. Until then, the Warriors shouldn't be expected to make a first-round playoff appearance.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors Wire Roundtable: Bold predictions for the 2025-26 season
