Al Horford got a promising injury update after he's missed 8 of the last 9 games.
The Golden State Warriors will truly be back to full strength soon. With the arrival of De'Anthony Melton after his elongated ACL rehab, and the short-term returns of Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors now just need Al Horford to come back for the team to be completely healthy for the first time this season.
Horford has missed 8 of the Warriors' last 9 games due to a combination of personal reasons and a sciatica issue. When taking into account the coaching staff's decision to only play him on one end of back-to-backs, the veteran big man has played in just 13 of the Warriors' 27 games this season.
Horford Gets Promising Injury Update
On Tuesday, however, Steve Kerr provided a promising update on Horford's health and his expected return date.
Though Horford isn't expected to be ready for Thursday's game on the road against the Phoenix Suns, the 39-year-old is back on the court in practice. Kerr said that the sciatica injury has healed and that Horford is nearing a return.
With this information, it seems like Horford would likely return to the court for either Sunday's game versus the Suns or Monday's bout against the Orlando Magic.
The Warriors sorely missed Horford's size in some of the games he missed — particularly against the Rockets at the end of November and Minnesota last week — so his return should alleviate some of the problems Quinten Post, Green, and the rest of the Warriors were having on the glass and in dealing with skilled big men in the post.
How Will The Rotation Shake Out?
The Warriors' starting lineup is now set, according to Steve Kerr. Steph Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Green, and Post will be the locked-in five moving forward, leaving the rest of the bench minutes to be divvied up among a multitude of players.
On the perimeter, the logjam of guards continues to pose a potential issue, as Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Pat Spencer, Buddy Hield, and Will Richard all have seen significant playing time this season.
From the forward/big spot, it seems a bit more clear. Horford will likely assume the backup center duties behind Post, with Trayce Jackson-Davis ready to fill in on back-to-backs. Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly reentering the rotation after picking up a few DNPs in a row, as he and Gui Santos will most likely split that role based on game flow and their day-to-day performances.
All in all, the minutes spread amongst the bench with everyone healthy may be shaky, but it's always better to have more options to choose from and different combinations to send out onto the court.