Al Horford Through Five Warriors Games: Checking Up On The Ex-Celtic

Al Horford’s move to the Golden State Warriors this offseason stirred plenty of animosity among Celtics fans. Naturally, these same fans are probably wondering how Horford is doing with his new team so far.

Well, five games into the 2025-26 season, with Golden State sitting at 4-1, the 39-year-old veteran has appeared in just three contests off the bench. Averaging 23.3 minutes, he’s posted 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist on 42.1 percent field goal shooting and 36.4 percent from deep—solid marks for a limited role designed to preserve him for the long haul.

Steve Kerr said the plan with Al Horford is to keep him around 22 minutes with occasional ability to stretch it.

“The biggest thing is come playoff time, is he fresh? If that’s the case, there’s no back-to-backs, maybe we can bump his minutes up.” pic.twitter.com/6DlsfI9Lcf

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 29, 2025

Those numbers pale next to Horford’s career norms of 12.9 points, 7.8 boards and 3.2 dimes across 1,141 games, with far better efficiency at 50.9 percent from the floor. Yet context matters: Steve Kerr has capped him at 20-24 minutes maximum, skipping back-to-backs to keep the big man fresh for playoff pushes—much like Boston did in recent years.

In his Warriors debut on October 21 against the Lakers, Horford tallied five points and five rebounds in 20 minutes during a 119-109 victory. Two nights later, he dropped 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 threes, plus 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in 29 minutes of an overtime thriller over Denver. His most recent outing? A quiet two points versus the Clippers in a blowout win.

Nikola Jokić shot 3-for-12 from the field when defended by Al Horford — including 1-for-7 in the 4th quarter and overtime, per @ESPNNBA pic.twitter.com/Fw9aKbLUSn

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 24, 2025

Horford’s fit in Golden State remains seamless as a stretch-five complement to Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Horford’s floor-spacing and defensive IQ shine in spot duty, evidenced by his true shooting above 60 percent in the Denver game. A 6.5 PER and zero win shares so far reflect the volume dip, but his presence bolsters lineups against bulky fronts like Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets.

Celtics faithful will recognize the Horford script in San Fran: low-usage, high-leverage impact from a proven winner. As Golden State paces itself with its aging core, Horford’s steady hand could prove pivotal come spring. Early returns? Exactly what Bay Area fans signed up for.