The Golden State Warriors will take to the floor for the first time in preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, potentially giving fans their first look at the impact of free agency acquisition Al Horford.
The veteran center is bound to be a positive influence for the Warriors on their quest for another championship, but there's one player in particular who could benefit most from Horford's arrival.
Steve Kerr is excited to see the Al Horford and Jonathan Kuminga pairing
Jonathan Kuminga has never really had the opportunity to play alongside a quality, starting-caliber stretch five through his first four years in the league. Even when rookie center Quinten Post emerged as a surprise rotation piece in the second-half of last season, Kuminga was largely on the sidelines having missed 30 games with an ankle injury.
From almost the moment Horford was first linked to Golden State over three months ago, fans have pondered his potential impact on Kuminga who can be a destructive downhill presence with an open floor.
Steve Kerr has also come to that realization, listing the Horford-Kuminga tandem as the two-man combination he's most excited to see when it comes to the 39-year-old's early impact on the team.
“With JK, we want to give him space when he’s got the ball. Al can do that. So, if JK’s at the four, Al’s at the five and we put shooters around those guys, that could be an interesting combination," Kerr said (per NBC Sports Bay Area).
Horford's ability to spot up in the corner or anywhere beyond the arc could make Kuminga's driving an even scarier proposition for opposing defenses, something that could be key to the 22-year-old's fit on the team early in the season and whether the Warriors subsequently look to trade him once eligible on January 15.
How Kerr goes about managing his rotation so Horford and Kuminga play significant minutes together will be fascinating, particularly if he's not willing to start a big lineup that could feature both alongside Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Horford is the assumed starting center entering the season and is expected to average around 25 minutes per game, but Kuminga's role remains far more uncertain despite now being the fouth-highest paid player on the team.
If Kerr can find better lineups to put around Kuminga, and the former seventh overall pick can also improve in specific elements the coaching staff have long been after, then that would go a long way to him finding a consistent role. Horford might be the means to making that happen and potentially saving his young teammate's career at the franchise.