Warriors Announce Starting Lineup vs Lakers on Opening Night

Heading into Tuesday's matchup, there was some noise about Jonathan Kuminga starting over Al Horford. Now, just minutes before tip-off, that was confirmed.

The Warriors announced their starting lineup for Opening Night against the Lakers, putting a group of Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga on the floor together to start Tuesday's game.

Kuminga, 23, had a dramatic offseason with months of contract negotiations as a restricted free agent. There was plenty of talk around Kuminga's uncertain future with the franchise, so it is fairly surprising to see him in the starting lineup to start the season.

Of course, there is no guarantee that this is their starting group moving forward, but it will be interesting to see how things go for this group against a competitive Lakers team on Tuesday.

On the other end, the Lakers are rolling with a starting group of Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton. The Warriors likely felt comfortable putting out a smaller starting five against Los Angeles' three-guard lineup, and there is no doubt that Green is capable of defending Ayton in his Lakers debut.

The Warriors will certainly have their hands full on Tuesday against Doncic and the Lakers, but this versatile lineup with Kuminga in the mix could certainly make some noise. For this Warriors team, looking to get off to a hot start to their 2025-26 season, this is a significant choice for head coach Steve Kerr to put this group on the floor to kick off their new campaign.

The Warriors and Lakers are set to face off in Los Angeles on Tuesday night at 10:00 p.m. ET.