Preview: Wounded Warriors Open Season Up At Lakers

Well well well, anybody feeling a little bit of deja vu today? The Golden State Warriors open in the same building, against the same team, on the exact same date as last season. Except this time around there’s no LeBron James and you won’t get a Brandin Podziemski performance. The Warriors’ injuries are already painting a picture to start this brand new season.

Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
When: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: 95.7 The Game

It feels like while the Warriors have been lined up to see the doctor, the Lakers went shopping for new talent. LA rebuilt the post-LeBron roster at full speed, bringing in nine new veterans, handing Walker Kessler four years and $130 million to protect the rim, and locking up Austin Reaves for four years and $180 million. Meanwhile Golden State spent most of the time since the draft refreshing medical updates like they were lottery numbers.

Unfortunately for Dub Nation, those numbers haven’t hit yet. Jimmy Butler is still working back from the torn ACL with a late January or early February target, Moses Moody is rehabbing a ruptured patellar tendon, and Kristaps Porzingis isn’t even traveling to LA while he remains out indefinitely. Then on the eve of the opener, the one guy who never misses games got ruled out: Brandin Podziemski, who played all 82 games last season, is sitting with lower back soreness, and Charles Bassey is questionable with right patellar tendinopathy. If Bassey sits too, Golden State takes the floor with just 10 healthy players on standard contracts and Draymond probably playing center full-time.

Let’s not forget that Steph, 38 years old and stepping into his remarkable 18th season, caught his foot at open practice and limped to the locker room with a right ankle sprain. He’s officially probable after a full practice Monday, so breathe. But Dub Nation absolutely remembers that last season Curry played 43 games and the Warriors dropped 26 of the 39 he missed.

Luka Doncic is the clear face of the Lakers’ franchise in LeBron’s absence, and he definitely has some firepower alongside him with Reaves. Doncic has averaged 30.7 points per game against Golden State for his career, and tonight he gets to aim that at a frontcourt of Draymond, a minutes-managed Al Horford, Georges Niang and maybe a big man with a sore knee. Luka also apparently took out an ad talking about L.A.’s march toward the title beginning tonight? Fascinating.

The Warriors are 4-0 against the Lakers on opening night in the Curry era, including a 119-109 win in this same arena last October. This time the Lakers have the size, the depth and a new sense of creativity and freedom after the departure of King James.  Golden State has Steph, Draymond and a freshly taped right ankle that has to hold up against the best guard tandem in the Pacific.

Oh and YAXEL POWER. Let Yaxel Lendeborg’s Rookie of the Year campaign begin in earnest tonight!