Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes his team still has significant work to do before the start of the 2026-27 NBA regular season, despite a strong second-half performance in Tuesday’s 101-89 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be,” Kerr said after the game. “But we’re working on the right things. We have a clear vision. The players are great guys. They’re committed. They want to do well, but our execution is just scattered at this point. So we just got to keep working. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
The Warriors trailed 63-50 at halftime before outscoring the Lakers 51-26 over the final two quarters to secure the win. Kerr was encouraged by his team’s energy and effort, but he stressed that Golden State must improve its execution to become more consistent.
“I like our effort and our energy, but the execution is lacking,” Kerr explained. “Second quarter, just mindless turnovers that completely allow the game to get away from us.”
Golden State committed 20 turnovers, while the Lakers had 29. The Warriors also struggled to generate second-chance opportunities early, collecting just two offensive rebounds in the first half before recording 13 after the break.
“First half we only had two offensive boards. Second half we had 13. So much better second half overall, the energy, the effort, but we got to execute better,” Kerr said. “We have to finish in transition, make the easy plays.”
Kerr identified a lack of organization and familiarity with the team’s offensive concepts as key problems. Golden State is attempting to move away from its previous reliance on more improvised possessions and establish greater consistency in its movement and positioning.
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“Tonight it was a lack of flow, lack of recognition of what we’re trying to do after made baskets offensively,” Kerr said. “We didn’t get to our spots, and that’s the whole thing we’re trying to teach this year is, you know, getting to consistent spots, making consistent cuts, getting away from the random stuff that we’ve run in the past.”
He added that the coaching staff would continue to demand better organization as the team adjusts to its approach.
“We have to be more organized and we’re going to keep demanding it,” Kerr said.
The Warriors have undergone several roster changes during the offseason after finishing 37-45 in 2025-26. Golden State retained much of its veteran core while adding players such as Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford, while Brandin Podziemski recently agreed to a five-year rookie extension.
Against the Lakers, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and Podziemski led Golden State with 17 points apiece. Stephen Curry finished with 11 points in 23 minutes, while Charles Bassey contributed eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Kerr also praised the team’s defensive effort after halftime, when the Warriors limited Los Angeles to 26 points across the final two quarters. However, he noted that Golden State’s pick-and-roll defense had struggled early, particularly against Austin Reaves, who finished with 28 points and seven assists.
“Our pick-and-roll defense was really poor in the first half, got better in the second half,” Kerr said. “Austin is a handful. He’s so good scoring and also making passes over the top of the defense, which he did consistently.”
Golden State improved to 3-2 in preseason play with the victory, but Kerr made clear that the result does not mean the team has reached its desired level.
“It is what it is,” he said when asked about the approaching regular season. “We’ve been working as hard as we can, and so I do think that it will come. But we’re not there yet.”
