While the Golden State Warriors signed Al Horford this offseason hoping to lessen the team’s reliance on Draymond Green at center this season, Horford will not be in the starting lineup in Thursday night’s
matchup against the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić, per a report by Danny Emerman of The San Francisco Standard. While Emerman did not confirm that Jonathan Kuminga would remain in the starting lineup that would seem like the most likely scenario since Moses Moody remains out with a calf injury and the other big man alternatives (Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis) seem like weak matchups against Jokić.
Emerman also confirmed that Horford would not play in the Dubs Friday evening matchup against the Blazers. Head coach Steve Kerr had already said prior to the season that Horford would not play in a single back-to-back this year. Despite having some rest lined up, Horford is still expected to be limited to 20 minutes per game. Since Kerr wants to have the ability to close games with Horford on the floor, keeping him on the bench to start games makes it more viable. Otherwise, Horford would likely go prolonged stretches between playing stints, which could prevent him from finding a rhythm on the floor.
The decision was probably made a lot easier for Kerr by Kuminga’s excellent well-rounded performance in the Warriors season-opener against the Lakers. Still, the Lakers are a uniquely favorable matchup for Kuminga while the Nuggets size has posed problems for him in the past. If the 23-year old can have another great showing, it would be a big sign that he has indeed taken a big step forward in his development.
