Golden State guard Brandin Podziemski will miss the Warriors’ season opener against the Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 21, because of lower back soreness, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported. The game is at Crypto.com Arena at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN.
The NBA’s official injury report lists Podziemski as out with bilateral low back soreness. He was originally listed as questionable after sitting out the last three days of practice with the injury.
The Warriors have not announced how long Podziemski will be sidelined, leaving his availability beyond Wednesday uncertain.
Podziemski played all 82 games in 2025-26 and averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He and the Warriors agreed on a five-year, $110 million extension in October.
He averaged 14.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range in five preseason games. Steve Kerr had identified him as part of a potential opening-night lineup featuring Curry, Gui Santos, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green.
Podziemski is one of four Warriors ruled out. Jimmy Butler (right ACL repair), Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair) and Kristaps Porziņģis (not with team) are also out.
Stephen Curry is probable with right ankle soreness, and Charles Bassey is questionable with right patellar tendinopathy.
On the Lakers’ side, Walker Kessler is available despite a splint on his left finger. Collin Sexton is questionable with a right soleus strain, and Adou Thiero (left knee effusion) and Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) are out.
Golden State’s Thin Backcourt Points the Lakers at Curry
The Warriors lose the one guard who played every game in 2025-26, and they are already without Butler and Moody. That leaves Curry, who has an ankle issue of his own, with less help running the offense than Kerr planned for.
The Lakers can build their defense around taking the ball out of Curry’s hands, because Golden State is down the secondary creators who would normally make that plan costly. The Lakers’ own guard depth depends on Sexton, so the backcourt matchup is closer to even if he can’t play.
Memphis on Friday Is Podziemski’s Next Chance
His next chance to play will come Friday, Oct. 23, against Memphis. Whether he’s available for that game will be the first sign of how long the back issue lasts.
The Warriors have not given a timeline beyond the opener.
Source: Anthony Slater of ESPN
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