Boston Celtics Commentary: Al Horford Finding His Niche in Boston
Boston Celtics big man Al Horford is showing signs of why the team signed him to a four-year, $113 million deal.
On a Wednesday night in March, Boston Celtics versatile big man Al Horford flirted with a triple-double in a 117-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists not only helped the team win, but showed a glimpse of what kind of player Horford can be on a nightly basis with the Celtics. Not only was he affective, he made an impact on the court with his offense, passing ability and defensive effort.
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Since that game, Horford has shown more consistency with his scoring, including a 27-point effort in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers this past Sunday. He followed that up with 16 points in Monday night’s showdown with the Washington Wizards.
Without Isaiah Thomas, the four-time All-Star has had to take more of a scoring role. The good news is that he did so during the majority of the 76ers game. The bad news is that he disappeared in the fourth quarter as the team blew a 13-point lead. Luckily, Thomas’s return allows him to go back into a secondary role where I believe he is most effective.
A consistent impact
As the team’s biggest free-agent signing ever, consistency has been Horford’s biggest battle this season. Mostly due to injury, he hasn’t really settled down into a niche with the team until perhaps now.
Related Story: Al Horford Excelling at Distributing the Ball
With the team holding onto the No. 2 see in the Eastern Conference, Al Horford’s production and presence on a Celtic’s team trying to take the next step is making his teammates better, while at the same time, establishing the type of player he needs to be to help this team win.
Prior to the 76ers game, head coach Brad Stevens highlighted just how effective the big man has been all season.
"“I think Al makes everyone around him better,” Stevens said Saturday, via Celtics.com. “I think they all get better every year because they work hard at their games and there’s a lot of individual onus on that to get better and they do put in a lot of time. But there’s no question that a guy of Al’s caliber and what he means to his teammates makes everybody a little bit better.”"
As the regular season comes a conclusion, Horford is averaging just over 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. While the scoring numbers don’t explode off the stat sheet, the influence he has on his teammates has been worth the big contract.
While Horford has stated his own disappointment in his play towards the beginning of the season, what he is showing down the stretch can help this team in the games that really matter.
It took awhile, but when it comes to Al Horford’s niche, it is clearly that of a versatile big man who can do it all on both ends of the court.
Next: Avery Bradley the Difference Maker in Win Over Wizards
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