**Curry's Ankle and Podziemski's Absence Give Golden State an Ugly Opening Look**

The Warriors are about to tip off their new season shorthanded in a way that should feel familiar by now. Brandin Podziemski is out for the opener, and Stephen Curry tweaked his ankle in practice, leaving his status uncertain. That's two of the three most reliable scorers from last year's roster unavailable or compromised before a single regular-season minute has been played.

Porzingis has been out since camp opened — I've noted that twice already — so the offensive burden was already going to fall unevenly. Podziemski averaged 13.5 points and played all 87 games last season, the kind of durable secondary presence Golden State rarely had. Losing him for even a handful of games early matters. Curry's ankle is the bigger concern, obviously. He played only 46 games last year, and any missed time for him tends to expose just how thin the supporting cast actually is.

Moses Moody, Gui Santos, and the rest of the group will have to carry more than they're built to carry, at least for now. That's not a new situation for this team, but it's a rough way to start a season that was already going to require a fast answer to last year's collapse.