Why Has a 39-Year-Old Warriors Center Lacked Opportunities Through Three Games So Far?
Al Horford came into the organization a few weeks ago as the Warriors' top free agent acquisition. Though the big man celebrated his 39th birthday this summer, he still has value to provide as both a player and a person. Horford has a reliable presence in the locker room and has often served as a “glue guy” for the teams he’s played for. In terms of in-game style, Horford offers the Warriors both size and shooting from beyond the arc. There is, however, a small caveat to how he fits into this puzzle, at least from what we’ve seen so far through three games.
Horford hasn’t gotten the opportunities one might have imagined when he first signed. He’s averaged 24.5 minutes a game, and while some might have envisioned him to start and flawlessly fit into coach Kerr’s system, that has not happened. I believe that this comes as a result of two factors. The first one is age. Kerr has already mentioned that Horford will not be playing extended minutes, capping him to about 20, depending on the flow of the game and his night-to-night matchup. The 2024 NBA Champion also won’t be featured on the second game of back-to-back contests for load management purposes. Given his age, this precaution makes sense to prevent “Big Al” from any long-term injury.
The second reason for this trend, which I suspect the coaching staff has limited the 2024 champion, has to do with how he fits into the team. Through three games, Golden State has relied on shooting and slashing, essentially neglecting any game plan with post-ups. I believe that what Kerr still needs from Horford is trust in a system that prioritizes rampant pace and defensive intensity. At the same time, it’s very easy to say that this is a very small sample size, and things could very well change at any given moment.
If I can make a claim based on the season’s start, it’s the following: Horford will be more of a rotational piece than having a set role each night. A veteran like the former Celtic and Hawk should have the willingness to adapt to the team’s needs, so I don’t expect there to be friction between the two parties. However, the Warriors need to look into how to involve him more. Not necessarily suggesting that he should see a minutes increase, but he should be used in the offense more than his current involvement. Otherwise, this acquisition might go down as a failure.
