Al Horford was always going to be a nice fit for the Golden State Warriors after being a notable signing in free agency. After a slow start that also included a sciatic injury, that's more than proven to be the case.
However, no one would have expected Horford to suddenly become a more important player than 4x All-Star Draymond Green, yet that's exactly what's happened over the past couple of months and was again proven against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Al Horford is officially a more important player than Draymond Green
Horford rested on the first night of the back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, with Golden State's offense suffering as a result. They shot just over 40% from the floor and 24.4% from 3-point range, while also committing 20 turnovers in a 113-109 defeat.
The Pelicans blatant disrespect for Green's shooting and scoring was palpable in the opening period, resulting in the the Warriors scoring just 11 points in the first nine minutes and 39 points in the first-half overall.
Granted, Golden State were playing arguably one of the worst defenses in the league right now, but their offense simply looked far better and more effective with Horford back in the lineup in place of Green on Wednesday.
It wasn't the same 22-point, seven-assist performance that Horford had on Sunday in a stunning win over the Denver Nuggets, but his 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists against the Grizzlies still felt very impactful.
The Warriors were able to use Horford in post-up situations where, unlike Green, he's actually a scoring threat. That caused the Grizzlies, playing without a genuine center, to have to double-team repeatedly, allowing the Warriors to swing the ball freely and play at an advantage.
After such a rough offensive performance the night before, Golden State turned things around in a 133-112 win where they shot 53.3% from the floor, 41.4% from 3-point range and dished out 37 assists.
This isn't just a contrasting two-night experience either. Horford has been consistently better than Green since his return on Christmas Day, having averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks on 48/38/85 shooting splits.
In the same period, Green has averaged 8.9 points on 41% shooting from the floor and 31% from 3-point range while committing 2.3 turnovers per game. More importantly, the Warriors are +73 in Horford's minutes since Christmas, compared to -47 during Green's time on the floor.
The numbers are there and the eye test is undeniable in determining that Horford is a better and more important piece right now, but it remains to be seen whether that forces a change to the starting lineup when both veterans are healthy.