Al Horford provided a glimpse of what he can offer the Warriors as he made his preseason debut in Sunday’s win over the Lakers, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 39-year-old big man posted three points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 14 minutes, and Golden State was +13 in his time on the court. Horford looks like a seamless addition, and his teammates are excited to have him in the lineup.
“Obviously has a high IQ,” Stephen Curry said. “An experienced, championship-caliber player that can fit with any lineup out there. He gives us space. He gives us presence on the defensive end. You saw the pass he made to me out of the corner on the give-and-go. There’s just an unspoken chemistry that will continue to get better. He’s multidimensional as a five-man. Excited to see what that looks like for me, for Jimmy (Butler), for (Jonathan Kuminga) and Draymond (Green). Any lineup, you can throw him out there at the five and he lifts the group.”
Horford wasn’t used as a starter on Sunday, but he entered the game quickly after Moses Moody picked up three early fouls. Poole states that he still projects as the team’s starting center and will almost certainly be in the closing lineup. The Celtics took a cautious approach with Horford last season, limiting him to 60 games and not using him both nights of back-to-backs, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr plans to handle him the same way.
“We have to preserve all our older guys as best we can to have them ready for the playoffs. That’s the idea,” Kerr said. “But no question, he’s still got it. He’s incredible player. Great fit for us.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr gave limited playing time to his veterans in the preseason opener, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Curry, Green, Butler and Horford all played 15 minutes or less and were out of the game by halftime. Curry looked to be in midseason form already, scoring 14 points while shooting 5-of-7 from the field and sinking three three-pointers.
- Kerr began the game with a small lineup using Green at center, but he told reporters that may not be the plan for the regular season (Twitter video link from Anthony Slater of ESPN). “It doesn’t mean Draymond is going to be logging heavy minutes at the five,” Kerr said.
- Butler was thrown into the fire of a playoff race when the Warriors traded for him in February, states Ann Killion of The San Francisco Chronicle. He expects to benefit from having the offseason and a full training camp with the team. “I get to do this thing from day one,” he said. “Be with the guys from day one and do what we started out to do. … I’m super hyped and I’m super excited. We’re going to have to go out there and produce and get it done. We know that. But we are just so joyful. We’re so happy to be able to compete with one another, and do what we set out to do. Do what I want to do for the first time — win a championship. I smile knowing that it’s a really great chance for us.”