After some initial uncertainty, the Golden State Warriors now have a clear understanding of their roster for the start of the 2025-26 season. With the recent re-signing of young, talented forward Jonathan Kuminga, the team will soon finalize the contract of veteran big man Al Horford. According to head coach Steve Kerr, this allows him to tinker with lineups that provide less congestion and maximum floor spacing.
Although the Warriors did not have a full roster to work with during the first day of training camp on Tuesday, Kerr stepped to the podium and talked about how they’ll continue to build on the momentum they gained after acquiring Jimmy Butler late last season yet at the same time, try to diversify their attack by integrating the skill set that Horford brings to the table.
The Warriors were one of the league’s best in the second half of the season
Not long after the Warriors acquired Butler at the trade deadline, the team went on an improbable winning run to snatch the seventh seed in the Western Conference. And had it not been for Stephen Curry’s unfortunate hamstring injury in the second round, who knows how far they could have gone.
But now, with a healthy Curry back and the addition of Horford, the Warriors look to be even more formidable. Although the team’s core players are seasoned veterans, their championship experience and leadership, coupled with a little more firepower from the team’s new additions, could propel the team back to the top of the NBA’s mountain.
“I think we were able to establish that we were pretty good, you know, once we got Jimmy. I think 26-8, if I’m not mistaken, after he came to us,” Kerr said after the conclusion of the first day of the team’s training camp.
Kerr, though, emphasized that the Warriors will not be content with themselves by being just “good.” With anything less than a championship on their minds, the team is determined to bring their game up a notch to give themselves a fighting chance against the powerhouse teams in the West.
For that to happen, Kerr knows they must have better floor spacing, something the team struggled with whenever Butler and Draymond Green played together.
“We’re going to be a little different, right? We’re going to make some additions to our roster. I think we’ll be able to have better spacing than we’ve had one through five since I’ve been here,” Kerr expressed. “You know, this is my 12th year. I don’t remember ever having this kind of spacing. And so that alone changes some things we do offensively.”
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Stretch the floor a little further
Curry is undeniably the greatest shooter of all time, and his proficiency from deep stretches opposing defenses to their limits. However, that ability gets mitigated when Butler and Green — two renowned non-shooters — share the floor with him, as defenses can sag off and clog the paint.
On the other hand, adding players with better shooting abilities can create more space for Curry to work his magic. This could lead to more open looks for him, as well as wider driving lanes to attack the basket. It also opens up opportunities for Butler and Green to make cuts and get easy buckets.
“We’re still going to be the Warriors — the ball movement, the flow — but it’ll be nice in some ways to be able to stretch the floor a little bit,” Kerr continued. “But it’ll be a different look, a little bit different look now at the five, and so it changes the way we approach things a little bit.”
With Horford shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc and Steph’s younger brother, Seth, who is reportedly joining the Warriors, shooting 45.6 percent, the Warriors’ offense has the potential to be headache-inducing for opposing teams. Not only will they have to deal with the usual barrage of 3-pointers from Curry and Buddy Hield, but now they also have to worry about a few other sharpshooters on the floor.