Reporting note: this article draws on gmanetwork.com; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Curry ankle injury update before the Warriors Lakers opener
Stephen Curry is expected to play in the Golden State Warriors' season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, after a right ankle injury during the team's open practice in San Francisco on Sunday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be fine.
The scare was short. The workload question is longer. Curry is 38 and entering his 18th season, and a lingering right knee injury limited him to 43 games last season. Golden State's opener is a first reading of how it intends to spend him.
Golden State opens with three rotation players unavailable
Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler are not expected to return until January while recovering from knee injuries. Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely because of a health issue. Three rotation bodies are gone before the first possession.
The absences push the interior toward Draymond Green, 36, who remains the team's defensive anchor and a playmaker in an offense being reworked around him. Al Horford, 40, provides support, but his minutes will need to be managed carefully.
Golden State also wants to keep Curry healthy while incorporating a new offensive approach that asks Green to play differently. That is the tension of the first month: a new structure, an old core, and a short bench.
Draymond Green at center and the size question
The Warriors expect to lean on Charles Bassey, a 6-foot-9 center who is 25 and played for four teams last season. Kerr called him big, talented and coachable, and said he will make an impact this year.
"Charles is big, and he's a talented player," Kerr said. "He's a great young guy, very young player, very coachable. I'm a fan, so he's going to make an impact for us this year for sure."
Kerr is comfortable with Green at center partly because of Yaxel Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 rookie. With Lendeborg or Gui Santos beside Green, Golden State believes it no longer plays small at the five.
"It's different now that we have Yaxel," Kerr said. "We don't feel so small if Draymond's the five this year, with Yaxel next to him. And if we have Gui next to him, we have a lot of size across the board."
Lakers enter with nine new players around Luka Doncic
Los Angeles welcomes nine new players, including center Walker Kessler, who is expected to provide immediate help for star guard Luka Doncic. LeBron James, a 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA MVP, left as a free agent for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Guard Austin Reaves acknowledged an adjustment period after an inconsistent preseason. "There's going to be some growing pains, just lack of reps together so far," Reaves said. "More than likely going to pick up on it sooner than later."
The rebounding number is the clearest structural problem. Los Angeles averaged 39.4 rebounds per game during the preseason, ranking second-to-last in the league. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ziaire Williams offered reasons for optimism: Mamukelashvili showed versatility and shooting touch, Williams emerged as a potential defensive force.
Coach JJ Redick framed cohesion as an ongoing process rather than an opening-night product. "You're always trying to get better," Redick said. "And even later in the season, you tweak plays, you tweak the offense and you tweak coverages. It's constantly evolving."
What to watch on opening night
Three things. Curry's minutes, and how often he is asked to create off the dribble while managing an ankle that turned two days ago. Green's workload as the defensive center against a Lakers frontcourt built around Kessler.
And the glass. Los Angeles spent the preseason as one of the league's weakest rebounding teams, and Golden State will test that immediately with a bigger lineup around Green than it had a year ago.
The original report was published by gmanetwork.com.
