Boston Celtics Today: Al Horford Excelling at Distributing the Ball

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford was signed to help anchor the defense, but is also anchoring the offense.

Al Horford has turned into a passing big man for the Boston Celtics. In signing the biggest free-agent contract in franchise history this summer, Boston knew they were getting someone who would help improve their defense, but did not expect how much he would help them on offense.

Horford only recorded eight or more assists seven times in his NBA career before joining the Celtics. So far this year, he has already done it three times in the 12 games he has played. He is not only proving to be unselfish, but effective in the way he creates offense through his passing ability. Averaging a career-best 5.3 assists per game, Horford has embraced the role and enjoys setting up his teammates.

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"“Coach is calling my number to make plays, and honestly, the guys are just cutting great to the basket, and I’m finding them,” Horford said via ESPN. “It’s a lot of easy looks. So it’s really their [off-the]-ball movement. I’ve been really impressed with Avery [Bradley], with Jae [Crowder], with their ability to read the defense and get those open looks.”"

In fact, Horford’s presence on the court makes the Celtics a better overall team and the numbers back it up. According to ESPN, Boston is a team-best plus-83 in his 389 minutes of floor time and a team-worst minus-39 in the 667 minutes he has been off the court. He has already impacted the team although he admits he is still trying to figure out his niche.

"“I’ll continue to take what the defense gives me. That’s the way that I’ve always played,” Horford said. “One of the things is for me to get comfortable with the offense — what we’re trying to do — and knowing when to pass the ball and when to shoot it.”"

Al Horford will continue quarterbacking the offense. Even more so with point guard Isaiah Thomas missing time due to injury.

Notes & quotes

Isaiah Thomas: The Celtics point guard has ruled himself out for Friday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden.

It will mark the second straight game Thomas will miss due to a pulled groin. He does plan to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip to Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

Terry Rozier on his confidence this season compared to his rookie season via The Boston Herald:

"“My confidence is way higher than last year. Maybe in the moment I would have hit that shot or wouldn’t, I don’t know.”"

Brad Stevens on Jaylen Brown’s big dunk against Orlando via ESPN:

"“I think that [Brown’s dunk was] just kind of an energy-raiser for everyone. I don’t really care about the dunk stuff, right? But I think it does raise the energy level in the building, and it’s certainly like, ‘Wow, what an athlete,’ when he took off and threw that down. But it’s still worth two, and you gotta play the rest of the game.”"

Next: Boston Bruins Get In Their Own Way In Home Loss To Avalanche

The Boston Celtics will next host the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden Friday night.

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