Horford Gives Boston a Veteran On and Off the Court

Al Horford’s veteran presence will be felt on and off the court

In addition to giving the Boston Celtics some of the high end talent they have been looking for on the court, Al Horford gives one of the youngest teams in the league another incredibly valuable asset. He may not have championship experience, but the 30 year old has been the best player on a 60 win team and has had more playoff success than anyone else on the Celtics, while having an opportunity to set a new standard for forwards on a team that is reshaping their front court.

The Celtics have brought in veterans before, notably David Lee. That being said, the biggest difference with Horford is that his impact as a veteran will not be limited to off the court. The Celtics’ newest addition is, by far, their most established player on the court and with his experience in Atlanta, he could have much more of an impact as a leader than some would expect. Horford may be more soft spoken than the likes of Marcus Smart or Jae Crowder, but there is little doubt as to who the players will look to as a leader and veteran presence on and off the court.

The Celtics do not have another player that is at least 30 years old, and Avery Bradley is the only player left that had any experience in the Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett days. The Celtics have done a great job of finding young players with the kind of personalities that can be leaders, but Horford presents something different.

Smart and Crowder do a phenomenal job as emotional leaders, on and off the court. They play with relentless and unmatched intensity and aggressiveness and there is no doubting that it benefits the team. It is rare to see with their youth, but the Celtics have found young players that are setting the example as to what kind of mentality the players need on the court. They have been in a position where their lack of talent has made it essential that they fight and win the 50/50 balls, never get out hustled and continually do all those little things that can help overcome their deficiencies on both ends.

Horford will not be that kind of emotional leader. Instead, he will come almost as a calming presence. The Celtics need aggressiveness and they need intensity but bringing in Horford will allow them to tone down some of the recklessness. The Celtics need the emotional leadership of Smart and Crowder and because of the mentality instilled by them, Horford’s position as a leader will become even more important.

Horford has the most playoff success on the team and he was a part of one of the better regular season teams the NBA has seen in the last few years. Horford gives the Celtics the talent that they have been missing, but he also gives them stability. Horford may never be the most outspoken leader on the Celtics, but in a front court that is going to be completely reshapen, he is going to be the example. He has not reached the highest level, but he has dealt with standards of winning that are unknown to many of the young players on Boston.

The unselfish way in which Horford plays, combined with his ability to be an impact player on both ends, is something that the Celtics will want out of any player they have in the front court, and that is the difference between his leadership role compared to someone like David Lee. Lee was a player that could be looked to off the court, while Horford offers that along with setting a new standard on the court.

It may take some time before Horford establishes himself as the person players go to as a leader off the court, but, on the court, there will be no doubts. The Celtics will do everything to make sure that Horford abilities are maximized on the court and that would make him a truly complete two way player.

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The Celtics have spent a lot of time and assets looking for a forward that can defend and stretch the floor like Horford and now that they have him, he could have a huge impact in the approach and mentality of the young forwards on the team. There is no doubting that Stevens alone will have the biggest impact on the development of these players but having a veteran like Horford gives the Celtics an asset that they have not had since they began their rebuild.