Despite being 7-3 and one of the best teams in the league over the last 10 games, the Golden State Warriors have remained as just an average first-quarter team.
The Warriors can no longer afford slow starts in the wake of Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury, which is perhaps why they realized Al Horford needs to start as he did in Sunday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center.
Warriors realize Al Horford might need to be a starter going forward
Golden State would have hoped to keep Horford in a bench role, having really found his stride leading the non-Stephen Curry minutes playing alongside Butler and De'Anthony Melton. Quinten Post had started 22-straight games before Thursday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but he was unable to fully grab the opportunity and there's no doubt Horford is the team's number one center.
The Warriors are in a position where they simply need to to start their best players. They rank 20th in first-quarter net rating on the season, something that's not sustainable to winning and particularly so now after Butler's injury.
Horford is easily one of Golden State's best five players, and the difference between him and Post right now is stark. Melton too is part of the team's best five, but there's at least viable alternatives to him with Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski.
Melton's playmaking and ability to attack off the dribble is also more important to the non-Curry minutes than what Horford is. Therefore it makes sense for the veteran center to be part of the opening group, unless the Warriors can find an upgrade at that position before next month's February 5 trade deadline.
Horford's second start of the season was a positive one on Sunday, with Golden State jumping out to a 14-2 lead in what resulted as a surprisingly dominant 111-85 win over the Timberwolves. The 39-year-old had 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor (2-of-5 from 3-point range), while finishing as a +7 in his nearly 23 minutes.
While he'll remain on a minutes restriction and won't play in back-to-backs, Horford might be able to bring a stabilizing presence to the starting lineup following Butler's injury. We'll wait and see if this does become a notable move for the rest of the season, but there's no doubt there's an argument for it even if it's something the Warriors aren't thrilled about leaning into.