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The Warriors are off to a 3-1 start to the year.
The Golden State Warriors made a few moves in the offseason to give themselves a chance to capture another NBA Finals title. Both Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II were re-signed, giving the Warriors two key returners back in the lineup. Additionally, Golden State decided to bring in veteran big man Al Horford on a two-year contract.
Horford has brought leadership to the locker room, but he provides some length to an otherwise smaller lineup. In fact, Horford is the third-tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-8. When it comes to his role on the court, Steve Kerr has decided to take a more cautious approach.
In Tuesday’s pregame press conference, Kerr said he would like to keep Horford around 22 minutes per game. With that, the Warriors’ head coach is thinking long-term plans for the 39-year-old.
“The biggest thing is, come playoff time, is he fresh? If that’s the case, there’s no back-to-backs, maybe we can bump his minutes up,” Kerr told ESPN’s Anthony Slater and other reporters.
Steve Kerr said the plan with Al Horford is to keep him around 22 minutes with occasional ability to stretch it.
“The biggest thing is come playoff time, is he fresh? If that’s the case, there’s no back-to-backs, maybe we can bump his minutes up.”
Al Horford’s Playing Time
GettySteve Kerr wants to keep Al Horford around 22 minutes per game.
Kerr mentioned he would like to keep Horford around 22 minutes per game. Heading into the fifth game of the season, the veteran big man is currently at 24.5 minutes per game. However, Horford has not played since Golden State’s overtime win against the Denver Nuggets. That was the second game of the year.
The reason Horford has not played since then is because of back-to-backs. He played 29 minutes in the overtime win over Denver, which was the most among the bench players. The very next day, Golden State had to travel to the Portland Trail Blazers, a game the Warriors lost.
The 19-year veteran had a chance to play Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. But with the team hosting the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night, Kerr opted to sit Horford against Memphis. On weeks the Warriors have to play back-to-back nights, Horford is almost always going to sit one of those games. That is how Kerr will keep Horford fresh all season.
Horford’s Role On the Team
GettyAl Horford has not played since the second game of the season, but is active against the Clippers.
When Horford does play, he will come off the bench. Unless someone gets hurt, the former third overall pick will be the first big man off the bench. In both games he has played, Horford has led Golden State’s frontcourt in bench minutes.
In those two games, Horford is averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He has shot 50% from the floor, while nailing four of his eight three-point attempts, as well. Horford is not a scoring threat anymore, but he will hit his open shots. Scoring around 10 points per night is all the Warriors will need from him off the bench.
Golden State plays host to the Clippers Tuesday night. Horford is active and ready to get back to action. Expect him to play around 22 minutes in the game.
Cam Zunkel Cam Zunkel has been a sports journalist since 2022. He covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Cam also covers multiple MLB teams for On SI – part of the Sports Illustrated Brand. He is a former collegiate baseball player with two stops in the independent Frontier League. More about Cam Zunkel
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