Veteran center Al Horford will miss his second-straight game when the Golden State Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on Monday night.
Having sat out Friday's blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back, Horford will again miss as the Warriors prioritize his availability for Tuesday's matchup against Ivica Zubac and the L.A. Clippers.
Warriors will smartly but frustratingly sit Al Horford on Monday against the Grizzlies
While it's frustrating that Horford will now miss two of the first four games of the season simply for resting purposes, it does make sense to leave the 39-year-old for the second night of a back-to-back given the injury issues facing the Grizzlies.
Memphis are without their man mountain and recent top 10 pick Zach Edey as he recovers from ankle surgery during the offseason, while backup big Brandon Clarke is also out following knee surgery.
The Warriors' big man rotation is already a talking point given the limited minutes and impact of Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but the Grizzlies too face a growing concern given they're being forced to start Australian center Jock Landale who started just 11 games in his first four years in the league.
Parish Sharkey of Beale Street Bears recently claimed that the franchise's need for a big man is reaching desperation levels, stating that "utilizing the hardship exception to sign a big man to a 10-day contract is a must for Memphis to help their current bigs now."
Golden State therefore evidently need Horford far more the following night, with the Clippers not only possessing an interior force in Zubac but also veteran center Brook Lopez and the hyper-athletic John Collins.
It will be fascinating to see what Steve Kerr does with the starting lineup again, having started Post on Friday against the Trail Blazers which forced third-year guard Brandin Podziemski back to the bench.
Post didn't particularly take advantage of his opportunity with just five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes, while Jackson-Davis posted six points and four rebounds in nearly 17 minutes as the Warriors suffered a 139-119 defeat.
Golden State's reliance on Horford has already been evident to start the season, with the 39-year-old playing a huge role in the team's comeback victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday where he had 13 points and helped to keep 3x MVP Nikola Jokic to 8-of-23 shooting from the floor.
Horford and De'Anthony Melton are the only two main roster players on the injury report, meaning Moses Moody is good to go for his second appearance after returning and playing 21 minutes in Portland on Friday.