Why Al Horford Makes Celtics Top Team in East
The Boston Celtics added one of the best centers in the league in Al Horford this offseason
The Celtics just inked ex-Atlanta Hawks big man Al Horford to a 4-year, $113 million deal earlier this offseason. He is coming off his last season with the Hawks where he averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
A lot was being made of the Horford signing in regards to the Kevin Durant sweepstakes before he decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors. Many thought the addition of Horford and the collective recruiting efforts of the Celtics’ front office and NFL superstar Tom Brady, who was later revealed as the primary reason Durant even considered coming to Boston, would be enough to lure Durant.
Horford’s presence is enough to get anybody excited, but his fit with Boston is near perfect. He will immediately make an impact in the starting lineup, taking over for Jared Sullinger – who signed with the Toronto Raptors. He becomes the second option on offensive side of the ball with Isaiah Thomas probably putting up the best numbers once again.
He has an excellent mid-range shot, which is his best asset. Being the outlet option in a pick-and-pop is the ideal spot for Horford, which makes his teaming up with Thomas just that much more exciting. He also possesses a pretty solid post game, as well.
He isn’t the dominant, blue-chip type player that will back down opposing defenders like we see with guys like Zach Randolph. He also doesn’t have the top of the line athleticism that we see today from some of the best big men in the game such as DeAndre Jordan. That being said, he has never been a very athletic guy and has always been able to compete at a high-level regardless.
Defensively, Horford is good, but not great. He isn’t the rim protector that Celtics’ fans would love to have in Boston. He does move his feet well though and is normally able to grab rebounds at a pretty decent rate.
He will likely be paired with either Kelly Olynyk or Amir Johnson in the starting lineup at the four and five spots. Olynyk and Horford would be an odd combination because their games are quite similar and defense might become a liability if the two play too much together against another talented front court.
Johnson, on the other hand, would be a great addition to Horford in the starting lineup because with Horford’s scoring and Johnson’s elite rebounding, the two should be a tough matchup for just about any team. Johnson is also a much better defender than Olynyk is at this point in time.
So, with all this being said; how good can the Celtics be this upcoming season? Should they be considered as one of the best teams in the East?
I believe they can be.
Last season the Celtics went 48-34, which was good for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics lost to Horford’s Hawks 4-2 in the first round, but it was a vast improvement from the previous season where they failed to reach .500.
This coming season looks to be much brighter. The addition of Horford and third pick Jaylen Brown look to be good additions, that should make an impact this season. This team will be extremely tough defensively once again and Brown especially should make an impact on that end.
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Horford should be effective in this offense with such an emphasis on the pick-and-roll. I see the Horford-Thomas combo being one of the best in the NBA. Come playoff time, the Celtics should be competing with the Raptors, Pacers, and others for the 2-4 seeds with Cleveland likely at the top.