The Golden State Warriors system isn't the easiest one to integrate into, with Jimmy Butler the exception rather than the norm following his mid-season arrival in February from the Miami Heat.
Many others have struggled to find a rhythm with the franchise straight away, suggesting that the Warriors should have known all along that even Al Horford might have his troubles despite his immense NBA experience and perfect theoretical fit.
Al Horford has struggled to begin his career with the Warriors
Aside from a notable performance against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in Golden State's home opener, Horford has struggled to make an impact with his new team after departing the Boston Celtics in free agency.
Head coach Steve Kerr stated on Tuesday that the team takes some responsibility for Horford's lack of rhythm so far, something that certainly hasn't been helped by the fact the veteran center has already rested three games due to a tough early season schedule.
“He hasn’t been able to find a rhythm but we haven’t been able to offer him one either. It’s a long season, I’m not worried about him at all but I’d like to get him more comfortable for sure," Kerr said (via Kenzo Fukudu of Clutch Points)
There certainly wasn't a rhythm found in Horford's return on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, with things actually getting far worse for the 39-year-old from a shooting standpoint.
Horford missed all seven of his threes against the Kings and went 0-of-8 from the floor overall, failing to score a single point in nearly 27 minutes during the 121-116 loss. He did have seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, but there's no shying away from the fact the 5x All-Star is now shooting a paltry 29.7% from the floor and 20.8% from 3-point range to start his career with the Warriors.
Kerr still believed that Horford played a great game on Wednesday and that the ball just didn't go in, yet a series of missed threes in the fourth certainly proved costly as Golden State mounted a comeback effort.
The center duo of Horford and Quinten Post combined to go scoreless and shoot 0-of-13 from the floor against the Kings, with that undoing much of the good work from Will Richard, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga who combined for 82 points and 19 rebounds.
The Warriors are learning a harsh lesson that not even the most savvy, high IQ players are certain to fit straight away, but there's still plenty of time for Horford to find comfort and make the impact that many are still expecting him to provide.