Last Sunday, the last two NBA champions, the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, went head-to-head at the TD Garden. With starting center Kristaps Porzingis already sidelined with an illness, the C’s needed Al Horford to step up in a big way. Big Al responded by putting in his best performance of the season against the league’s best player, Nikola Jokic.
Horford, 38, managed to limit the three-time MVP to 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists while chipping in 19 points of his own on the offensive end. When interviewed after the game, the Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla mentioned Horford’s defensive impact:
"He's one of the best players in the league at guarding the other best players in the league, no matter what position they are. He was just elite tonight. On the defensive end of the floor with his positioning, his communication, his physicality, his rebounding -- it was amazing to watch."Joe Mazzulla
In his 18th season in the NBA, Horford is still helping the reigning champs on a nightly basis, averaging 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. And Sunday’s vintage performance proved that Horford can still put up elite stat lines against the league’s best players.
Horford may be playing his way into a short-term contract extension with the Celtics. During the 2021-2022 season, Horford signed a 2-year contract with the Celtics worth $19.5 million, and his next contract extension with the team may have a similar average annual value (AAV) with a second-year player-option.
While the Celtics’ ownership may look different come next offseason, Brad Stevens should do his best to convince Horford to re-sign on a short-term deal. As many of the team’s best players' salaries continue to increase, retaining a starting-caliber player for a relatively low cost who has familiarity with the organization would go a long way for the team’s new owner.