Ideally, the Golden State Warriors could view Al Horford’s positional versatility, All-Star talent, and locker room leadership as simply a luxury. That’s because the 40-year-old Horford just became the 13^th player in NBA history to begin his 20^th NBA season after missing a combined 36 games last season with various injuries.

“He’s such a great pro, a great teammate and a great leader and a really great player. But he’s at the age where we have to limit his minutes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Horford. “We have to expect that he will miss a lot of games. That’s just the reality of the situation.”

Here’s another reality of the Warriors’ situation: starting center Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined indefinitely because of undisclosed health issues. Without any definitive timeline on when or even if Porzingis will return, the Warriors have to scramble to address their lack of center depth.

Most of that responsibility falls on Draymond Green and rookie Graham Ike. But that also puts more pressure on Horford, who logged 19 minutes off the bench in the Warriors’ season-opening loss to Los Angeles Lakers. It’s not a coincidence that Lakers center Walker Kessler cruised with 26 points on 12-for-12 shooting, nine rebounds and two blocks. But the Warriors sound at least thankful that Horford can reduce the severity of a significant problem.

“Spacing is big. Defensively, he’s still disruptive,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said of Horford. “However many minutes he can be out there, it’s impactful to have a guy that knows how to play good basketball and where to be. He’ll find his rhythm as the season goes on. He prides himself on trying to be available and the work that goes into it as well. So we want to be able to put our collective selves in a space where his value shows because he can be very dynamic. Maybe not in the stat sheet, but he’s a spacing big that gives us driving angles, knocking down shots and rebounding and defending and communicating. And he’s such a great presence obviously in the locker room. I want to make sure I said that last because he can still do stuff on the court. It’s not just the leadership part, but that is a big part.”

Just how big remains to be seen. Kerr stressed that Horford “had a great camp” without any health-related issues. But Kerr didn’t outline Horford’s workload and if he could even play in any back-to-backs.

“I’m hesitant to make any proclamations about this is going to happen every night or whatever,” Kerr said. “We’re just going to sort of take things week-by-week.”

Horford spoke to Fadeaway World about the Warriors’ challenge with Porzingis, Yaxel Lendeborg’s potential and insight about his own health. Horford also shared some of the secrets to his longevity.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

How do you look at this challenge with you and the team managing Porzingis’ injury and the overall center position?

Horford: “It is a big challenge for us. The way that I’m approaching it is that I have to do a little more. But Dray has to step up, I have to step up. Some of our younger guys are going to have more opportunities. Graham [Ike] and [Charles] Bassey are going to have to step in and play. At this point, that’s all we can do. I’ve been in a position on teams before where we all have to pick up the slack for others. This isn’t any different now.”

How have KP’s spirits been with all of this?

Horford: “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to check in with him on that.”

What do you make of Yaxel’s development so far?

Horford: “You would like to think that you can fast-track it. But things take time. There’s growing pains and experiences. But he has a really good attitude. He’s working really hard. He’s trying to do all of the right things. For us, it’s continuing to try to be there and support him. He has been picking up a lot of the things fairly quickly. So it’s just about having his back and making sure that he’s consistent like he’s been with his work. I think the results will show on the court.”

What do you take away from Yaxel’s challenging Luka [Dončić] and the back and forth they had?

Horford: “I think it’s great. I think that’s good for him. He embraces that. He loves to compete. I think it was fine.”

You were also a top pick [No. 3 in Atlanta in 2003]. What insight do you share with him about managing those expectations?

Horford: “We’ve talked about it. For him, it’s just about focusing on the things that he can control. He can focus on his preparation. He can go out there and provide that energy for us. He can bring the physicality. He can do it. He showed it in the preseason. I believe that once we get going, he will do that.”

You’re the 13^th NBA player to play 20 seasons. What does that honor mean to you?

Horford: “It’s amazing. I have so much respect for those guys. Jamal Crawford was my teammate in Atlanta a long time ago. It’s not easy doing that. In my class, Kevin Durant and Mike Conley are still there. I’m proud of those guys. The fact that we’re still doing it after all of these years is amazing. Looking at that list, I feel privileged. I’m very grateful for being in this position. “It’s pretty special. I’m definitely very grateful because I would never have imagined being in this position. It’s still surreal. It doesn’t feel like 20. But when I see that milestone, it feels great. I’ve definitely been playing for a long time.”

How many more seasons do you think you can play?

Horford: “The past four years, I’ve been taking it year-to-year. I always tell people that as long as I feel good physically and I feel like I’m impacting and helping a team in a positive way, I want to continue to play. I had a crossroads when I was leaving Boston. That was a really, really big deal for me and my family. At that point, I didn’t know if I wanted to keep playing.”

You said during training camp that you feel better with your health compared to last season. In what ways?

Horford: “Last year, there was a lot of uncertainty on what was going to happen with the [Jonathan] Kuminga situation, with me signing late and then just getting here [before training camp]. I don’t think I was able to have a full offseason with the medical staff to prepare for the demands that were asked of me. So I think I was put in a tough position. I got some little injuries early that kind of nagged and stayed throughout the year. I think this year, I was able to have a very clean summer, be productive and have a good preseason. So physically, I feel like I’m in a really good place.”

It’s early. But do you feel there are things you’ll have to manage? Or do you feel you have a blank slate?

Horford: “Nah, I just think that I have to continue to stay on top of everything. My challenge is, ‘Am I going to be able to increase my minutes and play a little bit more just to help the team?’ We definitely need some of that. But right now, I feel like I’m in a good place.”

Steve said he expects you’ll miss some games. But he didn’t rule out back-to-backs, and said the team will have to take it week-by-week. But what’s your comfort level with having an increased load?

Horford: “I want to be available as much as I can. Ultimately, I have to be smart about the length of the season. But as long as I feel good and am able to perform, I always want to be available.”

What has been your secret sauce to get to this point?

Horford: “Everyone has their different things. But for me, it’s been my faith. It keeps me very grounded. It gives me a lot of stability in my life. Also having the support of my wife through all of these years and all of these travels. We have a big family. To know that I can come out and do what I have to do and not have to worry knowing that she has my back, it’s very important.”

What can you share to paint a picture on how this has helped your longevity?

Horford: “There’s no question about it. For me, faith has given me stability to my life. It has given me prevalence and happiness. It’s something that I would’ve never had in this business that we’re in. There are a lot of things going on. But that has been my strength. Jesus has been my strength. With my wife, she understands that it’s hard for our family, obviously. But having her support, I know I can go out and do what I have to do to prepare. I know that she’s holding it down and she’s okay. She’s with me in this journey. We’re in this together. It makes it easier for me.”

Everyone has injuries. But what has been the key to healthy enough to get to 20 years?

Horford: “It’s been consistency. I always tell the younger guys that you have to embrace the lifestyle. You have to really live by it. There are a lot of sacrifices that come with it, whether it’s things that you like to do or things that you like to eat. Those are things that you have to forgo in order to stay ready, to stay physically fit and to be able to perform. I’ve understood quickly that I can’t eat any fast food. I can’t stay out super late. Those are some things that kind of go with the lifestyle and discipline. It’s all about the discipline and a commitment to live a certain way. That’s been part of my success.”

How early in your career did you start doing this?

Horford: “The dieting was pretty early. When I was with the Hawks, I realized that I needed consistency. So I hired a chef. Since my second year in the league, I’ve had a chef full-time working with me. So that’s been very helpful for me to be able to get the best quality food consistently. That’s been a really big thing. As soon as I got into the league, I was very conscious about taking care of my body. Even as a rookie, even if I didn’t need it, I tried to build those habits.

As the years have gone on, I have continued to evolve with what that means with taking care of your body. Initially when I first started out, I wasn’t lifting as much. Then I started to realize the benefits of lifting weights and doing more conditioning and things like that. I’ve been learning as the game has been changing. There are more resources with the team. So I’ve been doing more of that and leaning on the team. On the Celtics, I was doing that. Here, I’m leaning on them with preparation and everything. That has been helpful for me.”