SAN FRANCISCO – An eternity ago – the exit interviews for the 2024-25 season back in mid-May – the Warriors’ brain trust of coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. were unified in their belief that the team needed to upgrade at the center position.
Future Hall of Famer Draymond Green had admirably and capably held things down in the middle as a smallball center en route to a third-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year race.
But asking the soon-to-be 36-year-old to endure a full season of pounding would be a tall task, especially after stalwart Kevon Looney departed for New Orleans in free agency.
After a lengthy summertime wait, Golden State actually got older as it upgraded, but all parties appear thoroughly satisfied with what the sharpshooting 39-year-old Al Horford brings to the squad.
“The guy has been around for a bit and knows the league, knows the game, understands spacing and flow and all that stuff,” Kerr said. “Al just never seems to make a mistake. He just brings everything you want. There’s size and athleticism and shooting ability and passing, and he makes the game easy for everybody.”
Behind him will be a pair of 25-year-olds with polar opposite offensive skillsets.
Seven-footer Quinten Post is a classic stretch five, while Trayce Jackson-Davis is 6-9 but owns the skies as a rim runner.
Both will figure into the rotation, as both Horford and Green – still an option at center – are expected to miss games for rest or injury reasons over the course of the long 82-game season.
Al Horford, 6-9, 250 lbs, age 39
The Golden State Warriors’ Al Horford holds up his jersey during a press conference at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
2024-25 statistics: 60 games, 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocks, 42.3 FG%, 36.3 3FG%
Breakdown: Entering his 19th season, Horford is still going strong at 1,138 career games after two collegiate championships at Florida. … A gifted passer who has averaged 3.2 assists per game, a figure he matched in his preseason debut against the Lakers … Played the past three seasons in Boston, where he lost to the Warriors in the 2022 Finals and helped the Celtics raise championship banner No. 18 in 2024. … After being a mid-range maestro in Atlanta, he morphed into a 3-point gunner in Boston. Horford has made at least 100 3-pointers in each of the past three seasons and gives the Warriors a shooting element Kerr compared to Marreese Speights. … Kerr has repeatedly praised his defensive acumen during the preseason, and is a former member of the All-Defense team in 2017-18. … Horford is not expected to play in back-to-backs, which was the case last season in Boston.
What they’re saying: “There’s definitely ways I can continue to get better, but they make it so easy for guys to come in here and fit with the group and what they’re trying to do. Draymond and Steph and coach (are) putting us in positions just to go out there and play and feel the game out… It’s been an easy transition.”
Quinten Post, 7-0, 240 lbs, age 25
The Golden State Warriors Quinten Post speaks during a press conference at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
2024-25 statistics: 42 games, 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.4 blocks, 44.9 FG%, 40.8 3FG%
Breakdown: Selected with the No. 52 pick in the 2024 draft, the Boston College alum was a pleasant surprise in the second half of the season. … Started the season in Santa Cruz, where he averaged 19.1 points per game in just 27.6 minutes. … Once he made it to San Francisco, Post led all rookies in 3-point field goal percentage. … Made 14 regular-season starts as a rookie, but struggled to make an impact in the postseason against tougher competition, averaging just 3.8 points per game and shooting only 33.3% of his shots. … Post told the Bay Area News Group over the summer that getting stronger was a top priority. … After recovering from an ankle injury, he credited assistant coach Seth Cooper for helping him develop during the offseason.
What they’re saying: “A big part for next year is guarding without fouling. I fouled too much, especially in situations where it wasn’t necessary, where I could just use my size to wall up and make guys take hard shots.”
Trayce Jackson-Davis, 6-9, 245 lbs, age 25
Golden State Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) starts against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
2024-25 statistics: 62 games, 6.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 blocks, 57.6 FG%
Breakdown: The Indiana product and son of former NBA player Dale Davis began last season as the team’s starter, but faded from the rotation after the team traded for Jimmy Butler. … Told media that his top priority during the offseason was losing weight, slimming down from over 260 pounds to 245. … Led the team in dunks with 101, but his ability as a finisher noticeably declined compared to his rookie season. After shooting 70.4% on 2-pointers as a rookie, he made just 58.2% in his second season. … Is still the team’s most potent interior finisher as a big man and figures to be involved in the screen-and-roll game.
What they’re saying: “It’s about always being ready … At the end of the day, coach is going to throw you in at any given moment, so you just have to always be ready and rely on your craft.”
Other options: Golden State’s top option at center last season, Draymond Green, thrived while coming third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. While he will still get minutes in the middle, both Kerr and Green have spoken about wanting him to get more minutes at power forward. … Marques Bolden made it to training camp after a strong showing in Summer League. The 27-year-old Duke product has played in 18 total NBA games since graduating from Duke in 2019, and missed all of last season with an Achilles injury.