The Golden State Warriors were always going to manage Al Horford's minutes following his free agency arrival, but now head coach Steve Kerr has outlined a crystal clear plan for the veteran center ahead of Tuesday's regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Kerr and the Warriors are likely to retain a fluid starting lineup based on a multitude of factors as the season progress, fans can expect Horford to average around 20 minutes per game during his 19th year in the league.
Warriors have clear minutes outlined for veteran big man Al Horford
How Golden State actually configure Horford's 20 minutes per game remains a mystery, with Kerr outlining the difficulty in managing the 39-year-old to that number if he's also going to start and finish games.
“It’s hard to start a guy if he’s only going to play 20 (minutes) and finish the game. If he starts and finishes, he’s sitting almost the entire middle part of the game, which is very awkward," Kerr said on Friday.
Steve Kerr says that with Horford and Green’s age, the starting lineup will be fluid.
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) October 18, 2025
“Al, at his age, we’re going to want to limit his minutes and play him 20 minutes a night.” pic.twitter.com/9azIILZfn5
Just hours after revealing the plan for Horford, Kerr played the 5x All-Star for - you guessed it - 19 minutes and 39 seconds during Golden State's 106-103 loss to the L.A. Clippers in Friday's preseason finale.
Horford was one of only four Warrior players to reach double figure scoring in what was a lackluster offensive performance from the hosts, recording 10 points and two assists on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
After a stunning debut in the preseason opener against the Lakers nearly two weeks ago, Horford's preseason numbers ended a little underwhelming. Still, he showed enough to prove how impactful he's going to be for the Warriors, especially come playoff time if he and the team can make it that far.
Kerr's comments suggest that Horford will spend his fair share of nights coming off the bench, opening up serious questions on whether Golden State will regularly play small or have other options in mind.
Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis both had moments at times during the preseason, but neither produced consistently enough to indicate that they should be more than backup rotation players at this stage of their careers.
Kerr still has plenty to think about in regard to Horford and the rest of the Warrior rotation ahead of Tuesday's opener, particularly given the injury concerns that have arisen over the past seven days.