Preseason NBA basketball is arguably the most oxymoronic form of high-level basketball, in that there is simultaneously several and little to take away from it. The Golden State Warriors’ first game of preseason ball against the Los Angeles Lakers is such an example: there is both a lot to digest and take to heart, but also some that should be taken with a grain of salt. Some offseason additions make immediate impact; others take time to acclimate. Rotations aren’t set in stone amidst a period of heavy experimentation, especially from one of the most experimental coaches in the league in Steve Kerr.

That said, the film to take away from this game is far from insignificant — starting with arguably the most important offseason acquisition.

Once it was rumored that Al Horford was acquired by the Warriors to replace the departing Kevon Looney, the theoretical fit became a mouth-watering prospect — despite Horford adding to the average age of the roster by being 39-years old. The 6’9” Horford is perhaps one of the league’s most versatile big men, capable of doing damage from inside the arc as well as outside (37.7% career mark on threes). His ability to space the floor was immediately apparent once he was inserted into the game alongside Steph Curry.

Horford filling the corner in transition forces someone to have to match up to him — which allows Curry to slip through on the slot cut for the finish and bonus point.

While Horford was picked up by Bronny James in the instance above, the defender profile that will most likely be guarding him are opposing bigs, who will be drawn away from their comfort zone in the paint in order to prevent Horford from pulling up. The immediate consequence of such a scenario: the paint parting like the Red Sea for the rest of his teammates.

Involving Horford directly in the action, however, remains the most eye-watering part of his offensive repertoire. Setting the screen for the ball handler, staying put beyond the arc, and inflicting damage through pick-and-pop looks will give opposing teams tons of coverage decisions to think about.

Make the wrong one and Horford will almost always be left open:

Equally enticing is Horford’s versatility on defense. The versatility of his role on that end of the floor knows no bounds. Whatever coverage the Warriors want him to play, Horford is more than capable of executing.

Whether it’s corralling ball handlers in drop coverage, allowing everyone else to largely stay home on defense and prevent the need to scramble and be put in rotation:

Or stepping up higher to the level of the screen to put additional pressure on the ball handler:

Horford’s swiss-army-knife nature on defense isn’t dissimilar to Draymond Green’s hyper-versatile profile as a do-it-all defender. Horford slotting in at the five position allows Green to slide over to the four, allowing for more risks as a roamer and point-of-attack defender. Horford then plays the role of clean-up man on the backline — a role that Green has had to play the past couple of years as a small-ball five.

Another intriguing thing to note: Horford’s usage as one half of a double-big tandem, a role he played last season with the Boston Celtics alongside Luke Kornet. With that information in mind, Kerr experimented with a tandem of Horford-Quinten Post against the Lakers. In theory, Horford’s versatility — especially as a deceptively mobile perimeter defender who can keep quicker players in front — allows for such a configuration to happen.

Kerr opted to play Horford mostly in drop and screen-level/hedge coverages. It remains to be seen when Horford will be used in a switch-everything scheme, but it will be interesting to see how Horford holds up on switches (historically, he has held up well, as long as he isn’t matched up with an all-time switch-hunting behemoth).

The fit-like-a-glove hypotheticals were realized in the Warriors’ first preseason game, although Kerr has a decision to make once the regular season begins: pencil Horford in as a starter, or keep Green at the five in a starting group consisting of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, and Green — a lineup that outscored opponents by a total of 85 points in 211 minutes of action last regular season.