Al Horford is set to be a significant addition to the Golden State Warriors this season, but the age of the veteran center is also creating a problem for Steve Kerr in regard to his starting lineup for opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers next week.
Most assumed that Horford would step straight in and be Golden State's starting center following his free agency departure from the Boston Celtics, yet Kerr has far from guaranteed that as the franchise looks to manage the 39-year-old's minutes across the course of a long regular season.
The Warriors are yet to decide on a starting five for opening night
It's clear that Kerr and Golden State still haven't found the exact role for Horford in balancing his minutes, leading to question marks on what sort of five-man combination we'll see entering the season.
“If Al were a little younger, he’d be in the starting lineup for sure. But if he's playing limited minutes, it's tougher to start him and finish the game. If he's not playing as many minutes as he would have a few years ago. So, we still have a lot to think about," Kerr said after Sunday's game against the Lakers.
Horford played 25 minutes across the first two preseason games, before resting from Sunday's 126-116 loss to the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The 5x All-Star impressed significantly in his first game off the bench, recording three points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 14 minutes.
Horford was then given the starting role in last Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but only played 11 total minutes and had little impact outside a highlight play where he moved the ball in transition and found Jimmy Butler for a layup.
If Kerr and the Warriors choose not to start Horford, where does that leave their starting lineup? Do they simply start small as they did after the All-Star break and in the preseason opener, pushing Draymond Green to the five and incorporating both Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski?
Even those plans are now in some disarray after it was revealed Moody would miss the rest of the preseason due to a calf injury, with only a hope that the fifth-year wing will be available for opening night.
If Moody isn't physically ready for a starting role to open the season, and Golden State prefer to bring Horford off the bench, does that mean they'll turn to second-year center Quinten Post who's had an up-and-down three games to date?
These are all questions the Warriors will be asking themselves over the next seven days, rather than just pencilling in Horford as the starting center when healthy and available.