Al Horford Continues to Play Like a Star

Al Horford has been as good as any center in the NBA, and never seems to get enough credit

While Al Horford has shut down the unbearable talk of him being overpaid from last season, and has put himself right at the head of the defensive player of the year race, it still feels like he does not get the proper credit. Most people are looking to Kyrie Irving as the easy MVP candidate for the Boston Celtics, but Horford has just as great of a case as him.

Arbitrary labels in the NBA can be frustrating and just further confuse the issue, but there is no doubt that Horford is a star for the Celtics, and is one of the most complete bigs in the NBA. There may not be another big who does as many different things as well as Horford, and he never gets the credit for what he does to this team overall.

The scoring is always going to be why he is underrated, because he is not going to be that 20 points per game scorer. He is not the primary scoring option, but he is the main facilitator, and he is the one responsible for getting the overall offense at their best.

When Horford is not getting the ball movement going, the offense tends to collapse into the isolation trap. When Horford is not holding things together on defense, the versatility of the others is always exploited. Horford is the one man that holds the most together for this Celtics team, and you cannot undersell his importance to this team.

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The game against the Grizzlies is a great example. Irving brought the high flying scoring, and Jayson Tatum got all the attention for one of his most complete performances. That being said, Horford was the most important player, and brought the most complete and dynamic offense.

We are in the midst of a revolution with young big men in the NBA. They are ball handlers, passers and three point shooters who can defend. Horford is right there with any of those bigs right now, and he is doing it after the age of 30. Horford is one of the biggest anomalies in the enitre NBA, and never gets the credit for being one of the most unique and versatile bigs in the NBA.

The good news is that he really does not appear to care. He is not bothered by the lack of attention and being underrated, because he goes about his business each and every night, and gives this Celtics team an advantage every time he touches the ball.

Horford may not be as underrated as last season, but when you look at his numbers, it really is hard not to see him as underrated. He is cementing himself as a certified star in this league, he is doing it on both ends, and he is doing it on the top team in the conference.

He is a seven footer shooting 42 percent from three and almost 54 percent overall. He is just below eight rebounds per game, and has a ridiculous 5.4 assists per game. Horford has blown away expectations for centers and, quite frankly, is putting some of these so called transcendent young bigs to shame.

Kristaps Porzingis is having a great season, but does not break 40 percent from three or 50 percent overall. He has more volume scoring but much less rebounding and no passing at all. Nikola Jokic just barely breaks the 50/40 split, and has the same kind of volume as Horford. He has a rebounding advantage, but his assists are lower and the defense cannot even be compared. Karl-Anthony Towns has the scoring numbers to compare, but the passing and the defense knocks him far behind Horford. Joel Embiid has the potential to be the best of this group, but still has the lingering questions of sustainability and health.

These players may have higher potential than Horford because of their ability to improve, but you are not paying enough attention to say he is not every bit as good as them right now, and in most cases, a lot better.

Horford never gets talked about with this generation of unicorn bigs, but he very well might have been the first. Horford has been ahead of his time with the different ways he impacts the game, and he is looking as good as any of these bigs in every category, and there is not a single one who can stay with him in every category. DeMarcus Cousins has earned the title as best center in the league right now, but I have a hard time putting anyone else above Horford with what he is doing this season

Horford will never get the MVP credit he deserves, and he will rarely be heralded as a transcendent franchise altering talent, but that is exactly what he is doing for the Celtics this year. Centers are not supposed to be doing what Horford is doing, and he is doing it under the strain of having little traditional size around him.

Next: Boston Celtics Need More Jayson Tatum

Horford should be a defensive player of the year favorite, and an MVP candidate for what he is doing on the Celtics. Whether or not he gets that credit, he will continue to lead this Celtics team as the top team in the Eastern Conference and he builds on one of the most special seasons we have seen from a center.

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