If there's one term Golden State Warriors fans have become intimately familiar with over the past few seasons of Stephen Curry's career, it's load management.
Steve Kerr has already said that the team is handling Curry's ramp-up differently this season as he continues to return from the knee issue that limited him heavily in 2025-26. That's only natural, but it could lead to some scheduled losses in the early-season slate. Draymond Green will also need his fair share of rest, and Kristaps Porzingis remains without a definite timeline to return from his undisclosed health issue.
On a roster with close to $90 million on the sidelines and three players at or approaching the age of 40, this should come as no surprise.
But the potential concern is especially highlighted by the way Golden State has handled Al Horford's minutes so far. Although he was slightly limited by a minor knee contusion early in the preseason slate, he hasn't started a game since that first outing against the Los Angeles Clippers.
It seems as though the Warriors will be looking to limit Horford's role in order to keep him fresh through the early parts of the season. But with Charles Bassey not looking like a consistent starting option at center, where does that leave the rotation?
Al Horford's minutes will naturally be limited—but the Warriors need a solution to identify itself at center
For many teams across the NBA, the final preseason matchup represents a sort of 'dress rehearsal' for the regular season rotation. What sort of options can the team depend upon, and how will minutes be distributed among the bench players? It seemed, for the most part, like the matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers was that sort of opportunity for the Warriors.
Their decision to start Charles Bassey at center was interesting—and Kerr said it was a result of the team's desire to see Green play next to a more traditional big man before the regular season kicked off. But it's long been known that Green is best maximized next to a stretch five, and Bassey only saw eight minutes on the court even as a starter for this team.
Horford, meanwhile, didn't come into the game until there were around four minutes left in the first quarter, and he played just over 15 minutes on the night. That means that, factoring in Ike's 8.5 minutes, Golden state played nearly 18 minutes of the game without a traditional center on the court, depending either on Green or Lendeborg to function as a small-ball big man.
That seems to be the strategy Golden State is going to lean on until Porzingis returns. But if Horford's role is also limited—perhaps even dropping below the 21.5 minutes per game he saw last season—the Warriors are certainly going to be putting a lot of stake in Green's ability to hold things down on the defensive end of the court.
Horford obviously isn't a one-for-one replacement for Porzingis, especially not defensively, but he does provide Golden State with some additional perimeter shooting and veteran offensive acumen when he's on the court. It's reasonable to presume, then, that the Warriors would be looking to lean heavily into looks involving him with the starting lineup during the preseason if they wanted him to play a major role from the jump.
But if his ramp-up is being taken deliberately slowly as well, Bassey's ill fit with the starters leaves the Warriors with very few true options to turn to as long as Porzingis is out.
The preseason isn't everything, of course, and perhaps Horford will take on a larger share of minutes once the regular season kicks off. But right now, the combination of Bassey's deficits on the offensive end and Horford's limited role leaves some room for major concern as the Warriors enter the regular season.
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