The addition of Al Horford was big for the Golden State Warriors over the 2025 NBA offseason, adding an experienced big man who can help the team on both sides of the floor.
But, while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and superstar Stephen Curry have sang Horford’s praises, the veteran center might not hold the same role on the team many expected when he originally signed with the franchise.
According to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, Horford will not play in any back-to-back games this season for Golden State.
“Steve Kerr makes it very clear Al Horford will never play both games of a back-to-back this season,” Johnson wrote on X. “The plan is to look a week ahead at the schedule in collaboration with Al and Rick Celebrini.”
At age 39, Horford is one of the oldest players in the league. He signed a two-year, $11.6 million deal with the Warriors, of which he expects to be his last NBA contract.
Horford Not Playing Back To Backs
Strictly age-wise, the decision, while not a great sign for the Warriors, isn’t extremely unexpected. Joel Embiid made the commitment on not playing in back-to-back games earlier in his career, and with Horford near the end of his career, Golden State is going for quality over quantity.
Horford has played in at least 60 games a season in each of the last four years, but he sat out for rest more times during his latest stint with the Boston Celtics than earlier points of his career.
Golden State enters the season tied with half of the NBA with the most back-to-back games, at 16. That means, strictly due to scheduling, Horford will miss a minimum of eight games for the Warriors this year. That number doesn’t jump off the page, but with the aging Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, Horford missing those center minutes could detrimental.
While Horford expects to start for Kerr in the team’s season opener, Golden State also has Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post as other big men on the roster, but lack far behind in rim-protecting depth compared to a team like the Dallas Mavericks.
Warriors Predicted To Struggle With Bench
Horford being out for a least 10% of the season will not only mean a greater workload for Jackson-Davis and Post, his absense will put a greater pressure on the roster, specifically as it relates the second unit.
Golden State has used a majority of their salary cap with Curry, Butler, and Green, as well as Jonathan Kuminga’s new contract, meaning they didn’t have a lot of room to build up their bench depth. They added De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton with Horford, but as seen with their financial restrictions, they had to waive Seth Curry.
The other Curry brother expects to return to the team at some point, but even with him back, the Warriors are facing major issues on the bench. Writing for BlueManHoop.com, Nick San Miguel said the bench, along with potential injuries and a loaded Western Conference, could be the team’s downfall.
“There are going to be games where the Warriors have to win without their stars either because of injuries or rest, with that putting pressure on younger guys like Brandon Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga to step up when the big names are not on the floor,” he wrote. “Still, Kerr is going to have to hand the keys to the young guys at times this season which could be risky depending on how they end up performing.”
The Warriors were predicted to win 56 games according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, a mark they will only hit if the team stays healthy and gets strong contributions from bench players like Podziemski, Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Horford’s eventual replacements.
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