Boston Celtics: Al Horford is the most important player on the C’s

The Boston Celtics have been a rollercoaster ride of a team, to say the least, to start this season. We’ve seen the two franchise cornerstones, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both have their fair share of ups and downs. Brown currently sits on the sideline nursing a hamstring injury and Jayson Tatum is still trying to figure out the new Wilson ball.

Dennis Schroder has carried the offense at times but has also been the one turning the basketball over the most. Marcus Smart has been a hound defensively but is yet to find an offensive rhythm.

All the “key” contributors for the Boston Celtics have yet to find a consistent level of play, except one. That would be Al Horford.

Al Horford isn’t the flashiest of names, but he has been the most important player for the Boston Celtics early on

The 35-year-old big has looked more like a 25-year old with his hot start to the season. His great play is one of the biggest reasons the Celtics find themselves at the .500 mark.

Horford’s current season averages have him sitting at 13.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game on .450/.280 shooting splits.

Horford’s impact goes beyond the box score, though. He has been much more vocal in his second stint with the green and white and is the undisputable leader of this group up to this point in the season.

Like many of his Celtic teammates, the three-point shooting is a work in progress. Besides that, Horford has been near perfect. Not only he has been the missing calming factor in the locker room the team has lacked since he left in the summer of 2019, but he is also playing at a level we haven’t seen him play at since his early days in Boston.

Many viewed Horford as a backup to Robert Williams when he was acquired in the Kemba Walker deal this summer, but he has proven to have plenty left in the tank (thanks Oklahoma City).

Offensively, we have seen the Horford-Willams pairing work, with Al showing the ability to space the floor and knock down the three-point shot, which will hopefully start to fall at a more consistent clip.

The pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop sets with Horford have been one of the Celtics’ best weapons this season. When in doubt, Horford has come through when Boston has desperately needed a basket.

Horford has also helped with some of the stagnant offense we have seen from this team early on, doing a good job of forcing the defense to shift with smart ball reversals and off-ball movement.

You can count on Horford for an easy 8-10 rebounds a game, especially with a lot coming from hustle plays on the offensive glass.

Up to this point, Horford has put together an All-Defense caliber season. We knew of his ability to switch nearly 1-5 every night, but his shot-blocking has been superb. Averaging nearly 2.3 blocks a night alongside a player like Robert Williams has made Boston’s interior defense one to be reckoned with.

You know what you’re going to get from Horford every single night, and that has been hard to say about anyone else on the roster. His consistency has not yet been matched by anyone else, and that is something that must change quickly.

We have already seen Horford miss one game to COVID protocols and two games for injury/rest. While Horford looks young through 14 games, it is hard to tell if we will get this version for a full 82-game season.

The Celtics have blown quite a few leads this year, and with that, even in games it looks like the Celtics should close out, Ime Udoka has kept in his starters to truly ensure they secure the victory.

The downside to this is having to keep Horford on the floor or put him back into games that should have been put away in the third quarter. Keeping Horford’s minutes down early in the season will only prolong his amazing run for longer.

Some could say the Celtics have wasted a good Horford stretch that may not last for much longer. While Horford is capable of playing like this for the rest of the year, his body may say otherwise.

If Boston wants to be the best version of themselves, they must match the energy and effort that Al Horford brings on a nightly basis and take advantage of this good stretch of basketball he is putting together.