Yaxel Lendeborg will make his NBA debut as a starter.
The Golden State Warriors announced that their starting lineup for Wednesday's season opener against the Lakers is Stephen Curry, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Lendeborg and Draymond Green.
Brandin Podziemski is expected to be Golden State's starting shooting guard, but he was ruled out with lower back soreness.
Kristaps Porzingis was expected to be the Warriors' starting center, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday that he "is now seriously contemplating his future in basketball as he deals with recurring symptoms from the autoimmune condition termed as POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome)."
Aside from Podz and Porzingis, Charles Bassey is out with knee tendinitis, and of course Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are out with long-term knee injuries.
That means the Warriors have just 10 players on standard contracts active for Wednesday's game.
The Lakers will be starting Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Walker Kessler.
They ruled out Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero.
Lendeborg Is a Rare Rookie Starter
Since 2009, the Warriors have had just four rookie starters:
2026: Lendeborg
2020: James Wiseman
2012: Harrison Barnes
2009: Curry
Steve Kerr has been the head coach since 2014, so Lendeborg will be just his second rookie starter.
Lendeborg has earned the distinction.
The No. 11 pick dominated in summer league before being named Las Vegas Summer League MVP. Then he had a great preseason, averaging 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Kerr has called him one of the team's best players several times in the last couple of weeks. The Warriors desperately need his scoring and playmaking, which he's providing more as a pick-and-roll ball-handler than expected.
Curry's Career Stats, Record in Season Openers
Curry's career scoring average in season openers isn't that impressive for his standards, as he's averaging 21.5 points per game.
But that average is weighed down by some clunkers in the first seasons of his career.
Since 2014, he's averaging 25.7 points per game.
Overall, the Warriors are 10-7 in season openers with Curry. They've won four of their last five, with three of those wins coming against the Lakers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google