Even at 39 years old and entering his 19th NBA season, Al Horford remains a highly impactful and efficient player. This is especially true now that he is playing alongside experienced All-Stars like Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on the Golden State Warriors, a team where his unique style of play fits in perfectly.
Although he may not have officially signed with the Warriors until the start of training camp, Golden State knew they were adding Horford all offseason long. The veteran big man was the Dubs' top free-agency target this summer, and after one preseason game, it's clear to see why that was.
The Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-103 in their first preseason game on Sunday night, as Horford made his debut for Golden State with three points, four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in 14 minutes off the bench.
Horford did a little bit of everything in his first action as a member of the Warriors, but what stood out the most was that the five-time All-Star and NBA champion seemed like he's been playing with this group for years.
Aside from making the game easier for the young players on the Warriors' roster, Horford already seems to be comfortable playing alongside Curry and Butler. That became very clear when Horford found Curry on an easy give-and-go layup early in the game.
Stephen Curry and Al Horford play the give-and-go to perfection 💯 pic.twitter.com/Gpi9qRtfo1
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) October 6, 2025
Horford is a calming presence for this championship-experienced Dubs squad, and he will fill a role that many before him, like David Lee, David West, Andrew Bogut, and Andre Iguodala, have filled over the last decade — the role of the veteran leader who bridges the gaps between the team's stars.
“An experienced, championship-caliber player that can fit with any lineup out there. He gives space, he gives his presence on the defensive end; you saw the pass he made to me out of the corner,” Curry said in his postgame comments about Horford, via ClutchPoints' Warriors reporter Kenzo Fukuda. “It’s just kind of the unspoken chemistry that will continue to get better. He is multidimensional as a 5-man.
“I'm excited to see what that looks like for me, for Jimmy, for JK (Jonathan Kuminga), and for Draymond (Green). Any lineup, you can throw him out there at the five, and he lifts the group.”
Throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, the Warriors will utilize Horford in many different ways, similar to how Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics used the veteran through the years. Horford was an integral part of the Celtics' recent championship run in 2024, and the Dubs will look to use him in a similar way.
However, unlike when he was with the Celtics, Horford is now with a team that has already won a championship — four since 2015, to be specific.
Very few teams in the NBA have three experienced, unselfish stars like Curry, Butler, and Green who can all play off one another in a very unselfish manner. Now, with another skilled veteran like Horford in the equation, Steve Kerr recognizes how special of an opportunity his team has entering the new year.
“To see the size, shooting ability, passing ability, and just the flow of the game. What an addition he is,” Kerr said of Horford's debut. “We can play him with anybody… He fits any lineup. He makes any lineup better. We're lucky to have him.
“This is a guy who's been around a long time and has seen everything. The game comes very naturally to him.”
It usually takes weeks, sometimes months, for players to build a strong bond and chemistry with one another. Already, Horford fits like a glove alongside Curry and others in Kerr's system.
That is why the Warriors believe his impact can help elevate this group back into the championship equation in the Western Conference during the 2025-26 season.
