SAN FRANCISCO — Brace yourselves.
That’s been the theme of the message coming from the Warriors since the day they reported for coaching camp. The golden years are lengthy gone, but at least Golden State’s brass has the courtesy to inform us all.
Coach Steve Kerr hasn’t hidden the truth that championship expectations are fairly much out the door for the first time under his watch. Instead, he said, success will be judged on course of.
One of Kerr’s finest qualities is his transparency, and he dropped another fact bomb this week.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, left, and guard Stephen Curry speak during a break against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball sport at Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A ticket to see the Warriors is not the same as a ticket to see Steph Curry. Buyer beware.
“I would just come out and tell the fans out there to be mindful when you’re buying the tickets of the schedule,” Kerr instructed reporters after follow Thursday. “Take a look.”
Kerr’s warning was ostensibly an try to get forward of the curve on a drawback that has plagued the Warriors — or, nicely, actually well-meaning ticket consumers — for years now. Fans drop large cash to catch the Warriors when they come to city, and all they get to see is Curry’s trend sensibility on the bench.
Even an athlete of Curry’s caliber isn’t succesful of preserving up with the NBA’s 82-game schedule at age 38, getting into his 18th season. It’s in the Warriors’ finest pursuits to maintain him recent for the lengthy haul. They play 15 units of back-to-backs this season, tied for the second most in the league.
It’s not just good cash to guess Curry won’t play both legs in many, if presumably any.
It’s just good basketball.
“We’ve got not just Steph but multiple vets we are going to try and manage,” Kerr said. “Because it’s the only way we can do this.”
Last season, the Warriors were in a comparable pickle. They had an outdated roster full of veterans who would want to be managed to make it through the season. Three video games in, Kerr had a choice to make: Play the lengthy sport and relaxation his vets on their first back-to-back of the season or chase a win against the Trail Blazers in Portland after beating the Nuggets in extra time the evening before.
He went for the win, and the Warriors lost by 20.
Golden State faces an almost-identical schedule this season, only with the second half of the back-to-back coming in Phoenix, rather than Portland. If Kerr has discovered his lesson, then, nicely, sorry Suns followers hoping to catch a glimpse of Curry, you can’t say he didn’t warn you.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during a break against the Portland Trailblazers in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Heeding Kerr’s recommendation and wanting further down the street, followers in Dallas or Memphis (Nov. 18-19), Los Angeles (Dec. 23), Phoenix (Dec. 28), Portland or Utah (Jan. 27-28), Chicago or Boston (Feb. 9-10), Houston or Dallas (March 1-2) and Oklahoma City (April 8-9) appear doubtless to get the quick finish of the stick in phrases of who will truly be in the black-and-gold uniforms they paid to see.
The Warriors sometimes strive to keep away from sitting their stars at house, but some tickets are riskier than others (Nov. 1-2; Dec. 22, 27; Jan. 6-7, 12-13, 21-22; March 9, 16-17, 24-25).
All instructed, that makes up more than one-third of the schedule with video games followers can’t go to the field workplace with confidence in who’s going to be on the court docket. That’s a bigger subject for the NBA, and Kerr has repeatedly pushed for shortening the common season to 72 video games.
But his try at managing followers’ expectations only served to underscore the realities the Warriors are going through this season. There’s a motive why nobody, not even the perennially constructive Curry, was preaching championship or bust before their first preseason follow.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks to Draymond Green (23) and Stephen Curry (30) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball sport against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Getty Images
At the finish of last season, Kerr said the Warriors couldn’t do the same factor again. Al Horford appeared in only 45 video games. Kristaps Porzingis missed more video games than he performed in after being acquired in February. Curry’s knee flared up and triggered him to miss two months.
And yet, here they are again. General supervisor Mike Dunleavy Jr. said his choices over the summer season came down to availability or match, and he leaned toward the latter.
Porzingis is out indefinitely. The only lively participant older than Horford is LeBron James, and he won’t play back-to-backs again this season. There will want to be built-in relaxation days for Draymond Green, 36, as nicely as Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody when they return from knee surgical procedures.
Curry will also be dealt with in another way this season than ever before in an try to maintain his runner’s knee from barking. Part of that adjustment has meant a slower ramp-up than regular in the preseason. He only performed 25 minutes for the first time in their closing exhibition.
With only a few days to go until Opening Night, Kerr couched expectations one more time.
“He’s not yet where he wants to be,” he said of Curry. “But he’s on track.”
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