Steve Kerr Issues Concerning Update After Warriors Star Leaves Game Early vs Pelicans

Steve Kerr said in the preseason that he had not had anybody like Brandon Williams since arriving in Golden State. “Just the on-ball speed and the ability to get into transition… he’s a real weapon,” Kerr said in Honolulu. Five weeks later, that weapon is in doubt.

On Monday night, with the Warriors on their way to an eighth straight win, Williams exited the game with a left hamstring injury. Kerr did not hide his worry after the game.

"Yeah, it's a big concern," Kerr said. "He's a huge part of our team, and he's given us such a lift. And it's a hamstring. He's going to get an MRI, so we'll see how bad it is."

The question was asked in the context of the Warriors' guard depth, since Will Richard was already out. Williams left the 138-87 rout of the Pelicans in the first quarter after playing just under two minutes, and he had already scored four points on a pair of his trademark drives to the rim. The Warriors said the MRI would take place Tuesday.

The injury is an unwelcome interruption in an otherwise dominant night. Golden State improved to 8-3, its eighth straight win after an 0-3 start, and Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski each scored 25 points in a game that was never close.

The win also completed a perfect homestand. But the night cost the team a rotation player for what could be a significant stretch.

Williams has been one of the best stories on the roster. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal in the offseason after a career-best year with the Dallas Mavericks, and Kerr named him the backup point guard heading into the season opener.

He missed one game in early November with a left quad contusion and then returned in strong form against the Miami Heat.

The Warriors have relied on Williams' speed to give the second unit a different look, particularly in transition.

Williams, De’Anthony Melton and Richard are three of the Warriors’ key guards behind Curry and Podziemski, which gives Curry room to rest on back-to-backs when all three are healthy.

Right now, none of that is guaranteed. Richard has a torn UCL in his thumb, and Kerr said earlier that Richard would meet with doctors to decide whether he needs surgery or can play with a splint. That means the Warriors lost one backup guard to an injury that has already taken him out of a game, and may lose another to a hamstring problem that is usually unpredictable.

The numbers show how thin things could get. If both guards miss Wednesday's game against Houston, Golden State would have only 10 healthy players on standard contracts, or 13 including its two-way players.

That could push the team to use its two-way contracts earlier than it wanted to, or look for a roster addition if the injuries last.

It also puts more pressure on the guards who remain. Curry’s workload, which the team has managed carefully, could increase if there are fewer guards available, and Podziemski and Melton would take on larger roles.

After eight straight wins, the Warriors have not shown any strain, but the first stretch without Williams and Richard will be a real test.

There is some cause for patience. Kerr has not ruled anything out; the MRI results are not in, and hamstring injuries vary widely from a minor strain to weeks of recovery. Williams’ history includes a hamstring strain that sidelined him for most of the 2025 preseason.

For now, the update is simple. Kerr is worried, the Warriors are waiting for the scan, and the schedule does not give them much room.

If Williams' injury is minor, the concern will fade quickly. If not, Golden State will have to find a new way to maintain its momentum.