In a surprising turn of events this offseason, veteran center Al Horford departed the Boston Celtics after years of reliable service, signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the Golden State Warriors. At first glance, it seemed like a puzzling move for both sides—Horford had been a key piece in Boston’s championship runs, providing spacing, defense, and leadership. But whispers from inside the Celtics organization suggest there was a “hidden flaw” in Horford’s game that made the team comfortable letting him walk. Now, just 17 games into the 2025-26 season, that same flaw is rearing its head in Golden State, contributing to the Warriors’ underwhelming 9-8 start and raising questions about their championship aspirations.
The flaw? Horford’s diminishing ability to thrive alongside ball-dominant superstar guards, particularly those who command the offense like Stephen Curry. While Horford has long been praised for his versatility—stretching the floor with his shooting, anchoring the paint on defense, and facilitating from the high post—data from recent seasons hinted at a subtle decline in his effectiveness when paired with elite playmakers who warp the floor. In Boston, this issue was somewhat masked by the team’s balanced attack featuring wings like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, where Horford could operate more independently. But sources close to the Celtics reveal that analytics showed a pattern: Horford’s efficiency dipped in lineups where he was forced to play off a high-usage guard, leading to spacing issues and reduced impact.
Celtics brass, eyeing a youth movement and cap flexibility, saw this as a sign that Horford’s prime contributions were waning at age 39. “Al was great for us, but we saw the cracks forming,” an anonymous Celtics executive told reporters off the record. “His true shooting and plus-minus started trending down in those specific pairings. We were fine letting him test free agency—it aligned with our long-term vision.” Indeed, Horford’s exit allowed Boston to allocate resources elsewhere, and the team has started the season strong without him, boasting a top-five defense and seamless integration of younger bigs.
For the Warriors, however, signing Horford was meant to add another savvy veteran to complement Curry’s gravity and elevate their frontcourt depth. The fit was envisioned as seamless: Horford’s pick-and-pop game pairing perfectly with Curry’s off-ball movement and long-range shooting. Yet, through the first 17 games, it’s been anything but. Horford hasn’t proven effective next to Stephen Curry just yet, and the numbers paint a stark picture of mismatch.
In the 126 minutes Horford and Curry have shared the floor, Horford’s true shooting percentage plummets to a dismal 40.6%—a far cry from his 51.7% mark in the 117 minutes without the two-time MVP. The team’s overall performance suffers even more dramatically: Golden State is outscored by 14.2 points per 75 possessions when the duo plays together. Contrast that with a +0.9 net rating when Horford plays sans Curry, and a robust +9.2 when Curry is on the court without Horford. These splits highlight how the “hidden flaw” disrupts the Warriors’ rhythm—Horford struggles to find open looks when defenses key in on Curry, leading to forced shots and stagnant offense.
Horford’s individual stats reflect this broader issue. He’s averaging a career-low 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds across 11 games, hampered further by Golden State’s league-leading number of back-to-backs early in the schedule. This grueling start has prevented any real continuity, but even accounting for that, the veteran center looks out of sync in Steve Kerr’s motion-heavy system.
The good news for Horford and the Warriors? Their schedule lightens up significantly. With only one back-to-back before their Christmas Day showdown against the Dallas Mavericks, Horford is poised to play in 11 of the next 12 games, including eight at home in Chase Center. This stretch represents the first genuine opportunity for him to build chemistry and find his groove in Golden State. More crucially, it’s a chance to address the pairing with Curry head-on, as the franchise still believes in the potential synergy.
But time is of the essence. If Horford can’t adapt and overcome this flaw, his fit with Curry—and by extension, the Warriors—could become untenable. “Needless to say, if you can’t play with Curry, you really can’t play with this team,” a Warriors insider noted. Confidence remains that the five-time All-Star can turn things around, but it must happen soon to propel Golden State back into the Western Conference’s top six.
As the season unfolds, Horford’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of chasing veteran talent without fully vetting lineup compatibility. For the Celtics, letting him go looks smarter by the day. For the Warriors, the “hidden flaw” is no longer hidden—and it’s already costing them wins.