Al Horford is an early favorite for Defensive Player of the Year for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are absolutely blowing away any expectations that were left for them after the Gordon Hayward injury. They have won seven straight games, and are taking down quality opponents, proving that no lead is ever safe on the way.
We are starting to see more flashes of the offensive brilliance of this team. Kyrie Irving is a complete offensive threat at all times, who is starting to get more comfortable with his new teammates. The young players are contributing on a nightly basis, and Al Horford is dominating on both ends.
We can see the unbelievable upside of what this offense can become this season, but that is not why they are the hottest team in the league right now. The Celtics are killing teams in the interior, and have been the best defense in the NBA.
Irving is transforming what people expect from him on defense, Jaylen Brown is ready for any matchup, Marcus Smart is the most versatile defensive guard in the league and three rookies, Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis, are all playing phenomenal on that end.
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The Celtics are winning because of a collective defensive effort, with no liabilities on the court at any time. That being said, the one player that is most responsible for holding everything together is Horford, and if he keeps this up he will be in serious contention for Defensive Player of the Year.
Horford has the metrics to back him up, with a defensive rating of 97 and a defensive box plus minus of 3.6, but that still does not capture his impact.
The Celtics embrace strong aggressive defenders on the perimeter, and they need to know that they have protection behind them. The combination of Horford and Aron Baynes has killed teams this year, because they give their excellent perimeter defenders the freedom to take those chances.
Then, when someone decides to challenge Horford on the inside, he is always there to disrupt them.
The most exciting part of Horford’s defense this season has been the matchups. He has gone head to head with some of the most dynamic and impossible to defend big men in the league, and shut them down the way very few are capable.
Giannis Antetokounmpo got his in the two matchups, but Horford’s ability to at least limit him is one of the biggest reasons the Celtics were able to capture a victory in their second meeting.
The most impressive performances were against Kristaps Porzingis and Joel Embiid, because he thoroughly shut them down. Horford showed off his versatility in a special way against them, because they are supposed to be two of the most unique and versatile bigs in the NBA.
Horford is holding his own on the inside, not letting any of these bigs bully him in the paint. Then he has also been phenomenal at staying with them on the outside, and not letting these bigs stretch the floor in a way that makes them so dangerous.
Horford has been the best defensive player on the best defensive team, taking on some of the most difficult matchups in the NBA and winning them. That alone is a great start to a DPOY campaign, but it goes even further for Horford.
On top of the results he is getting personally, his defensive impact has been the most crucial part of this seven game winning streak. The Celtics have been far from their best in a lot of these victories, but their defense has given them a chance each and every time.
Horford is the most important defender on a team whose defense has been more responsible for winning than any other team in the NBA.
On top of everything, Horford has brought his rebounding numbers up, leaving him without a single weakness in his game this season. Horford is slightly above his career average, and could be a threat to get that double double on the season.
There will always be the sustainability questions this early on, but we have known what a great defender Horford is for a long time. For whatever reason, Horford was horribly underrated last season, but all of that should be over this year.
Horford is now surrounded by the kind of defenders that suit his game perfectly, and everything is coming together in a way that many wold have said was impossible this season.
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Brad Stevens always focuses on defense, so we should not have expected them to be weak on that end. Being the best in the league, however, is something that seemed far out of reach for them, and Horford’s part in getting the defense to this point is why he is forcing people to take him seriously as a DPOY candidate.