Warriors open the season with Porzingis out indefinitely and a smaller lineup in his place

With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined by an undisclosed health matter and Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody recovering from knee surgery, Steve Kerr plans to start a small, playmaking five around Stephen Curry when Golden State visits the Lakers on Wednesday.

By Staff Reporter

The Golden State Warriors will begin their season on Wednesday night in Los Angeles without three players they had counted on for significant roles, and with a starting lineup that reflects both necessity and a return to the small-ball style that defined the franchise’s championship years.

Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, said this past week that he was “leaning toward” starting Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, the rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green, with Green at center, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The team plans to hold Al Horford, who is 40, to about 20 minutes a game, the Chronicle reported, which makes him a difficult fit as a full-time starter.

The opener against the Lakers tips off at 7 p.m. Pacific. The Warriors’ home opener is Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center.

An unresolved absence

The largest question hangs over Kristaps Porzingis, the veteran center the Warriors acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and re-signed this summer to a two-year, $40 million contract. Porzingis missed training camp and all of the preseason because of what the team has called a health-related matter.

On Oct. 14, the Warriors said in a brief statement that Porzingis had returned to the team’s practice facility in San Francisco and met with Mike Dunleavy, the general manager, and Dr. Rick Celebrini, the team’s vice president of player health and performance. “The specific contents of that meeting will remain private,” the team said, adding that Porzingis “will remain out indefinitely due to the same health-related matter but will be around the team.”

Porzingis addressed the matter himself on social media the same day. “I’m working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health ASAP,” he wrote, according to ESPN. “Honestly, I’m getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I’ll be feeling great again soon.” He added that it had been “frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can’t exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career.”

Porzingis was previously diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder that can cause a racing heart rate, fatigue and dizziness, while with the Boston Celtics, CBS Sports reported. Neither he nor the team has said whether his current condition is related. He played 34 games last season between Atlanta and Golden State.

The Warriors structured his new contract with that history in mind. Only $3 million of his $20 million salary for next season is guaranteed, ESPN reported, giving the team flexibility if his availability remains uncertain.

Butler and Moody out, and a rookie in the spotlight

Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are also listed as out, each recovering from knee surgery, according to the league injury report. With three rotation players unavailable, the Warriors will lean heavily on Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in June’s draft, who helped Michigan win the national championship last spring and helped Golden State win the Summer League title in Las Vegas.

Lendeborg averaged 15.6 points across five preseason games and scored 17 in Friday’s 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, according to the team. Curry scored 20 points in 23 minutes in that game, making seven 3-pointers, and Green had 11 assists. Horford made 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point range.

The Chronicle reported that the three-man frontcourt of Santos, Lendeborg and Green had shown promising offensive chemistry in October, opening the lane for cutters. The cost of playing small, as Golden State learned in its leaner seasons, tends to show up on the defensive glass and against bigger opponents.

The team set its roster on Saturday, waiving Dalen Terry, Tyler Burton and Alex Toohey. Its opening-night roster must be finalized by 2 p.m. Monday.

An early test, and a crowded October at Chase Center

The schedule offers little time to adjust. After the Lakers on Wednesday and Memphis on Friday, the Warriors leave for a three-game road trip, then return to Chase Center on Oct. 30 for their first NBA Cup game, a rematch with the Lakers and Luka Doncic, who led the league in scoring last season, the team said. The home opener will also pit Lendeborg against Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick, whom he faced in college and in the Summer League final.

Curry, a 12-time All-Star, is entering his 18th season with the franchise. The Warriors are trying to extend his late-career window while developing younger players, a balance that becomes harder with Porzingis’s status unknown and Butler sidelined.

The Warriors also share Chase Center, and an ownership group, with the Golden State Valkyries, who are playing for the WNBA championship in the same building this week. Before Friday’s preseason finale, Warriors players wore Valkyries jerseys over their warmups. Game 2 of the Finals is Monday night at Chase Center.

For Bay Area fans, the next few weeks will offer an early answer to the season’s central question: whether a Curry-led team built around speed, passing and shooting can stay near the top of the Western Conference while its frontcourt waits on a medical answer that has yet to come.