Warriors Change Starting Lineup for Preseason Game vs. Lakers

The Golden State Warriors are going with a small-ball starting lineup for Tuesday's preseason game against the Lakers.

Gui Santos slides into the starting lineup while Al Horford goes to the bench after starting against the Clippers on Sunday. That means Draymond Green will move from power forward to center and Yaxel Lendeborg will move from small forward to power forward.

Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski remain the two starting guards.

Steve Kerr said that Horford is likely to come off the bench to start the regular season. That would suggest that this will be the regular-season opener starting lineup unless Kristaps Porzingis returns from his health issue.

ESPN's Anthony Slater reported Tuesday that Porzingis remains out indefinitely.

Warriors' New Lineup Could Help Lendeborg Get Comfortable

Lendeborg had four points on 1-of-6 shooting in the preseason opener, which led to many fans on X questioning whether he was playing out of position at small forward.

The Warriors don't have enough small forward depth for Lendeborg to never play the 3, but it's encouraging that Kerr appears to be prioritizing Lendeborg's comfortability by giving him some time at the 4 against the Lakers.

Frankly, the Lendeborg-Santos pairing has the potential to lead some impactful lineups. It would have been a shame had they essentially never played together and instead always replaced each other.

The downside to having Lendeborg and Santos on the court together is needing more small forward minutes filled when they need rest. So the downstream consequence could be more three-guard lineups throughout the course of the game.

The bottom line is the Warriors will have to concede some things until Jimmy Butler gets healthy. No matter how Kerr decides to make the rotation, there will be issues because the roster simply isn't good enough.

Green at the 5 Is Probably Best Lineup Choice, but at What Cost?

The Warriors have played Green at the 5 over the last decade-plus, but that last year they leaned into more than ever. According to Basketball Reference, Green played 43 percent of his minutes at center, which was a career high.

The good news is Green can handle the task of being a defensive anchor with his all-time great defensive IQ. The bad news is Green having to defend players much taller and heavier than him will wear him down.

Kerr will have to balance how often he plays Green at the 5 so he doesn't break down before the dog days of the season.

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