Boston Celtics: Al Horford should not play power forward

The Boston Celtics have five centers on their roster. By trading for Al Horford and Moses Brown, they now have a log jam at that position.

Robert Williams emerged as the top center on the roster last season, but with Horford back in town, there’s a real argument as to who the starter will be.

On the one hand, Williams did more than enough to earn the starting job last season. His talent on the defensive end and in the pick n’ roll is off the charts.

However, Horford made it to multiple Eastern Conference Finals appearances with the Boston Celtics. His ability to stretch the floor and defend the paint is invaluable.

There is a serious debate to be had as to which one should start. No matter where fans stand on this debate, there is one important fact to note – they should not be starting together.

Over the last few weeks, numerous Boston Celtics fans brought up the idea of Horford starting at power forward. While this may sound like a good idea in theory, he is not built to play that position.

On Basketball Reference, Horford has been listed as a center for every single year of his NBA career. This includes the season he played alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.

The site also has a feature where it tracks a player’s percentage of time spent at each position. Throughout his 14-year career, he has spent 82% of his time at the center, and 18% at power forward.

Most people point towards his time with the 76ers as the prime example of why Horford at the four doesn’t work. In his last seven seasons, he has started all but six games – all of which were with the 76ers.

Four of the 76ers’ top five lineups in terms of minutes played included Horford, but not Embiid. They played okay together, but were much better on their own.

Amongst lineups that played at least 50 minutes together, Horford’s center lineups reigned supreme. The best offensive lineup of that group included Horford, but not Embiid, and the same can be said for the best defensive lineup.

Similarly, the bottom two offensive lineups of that group were when both bigs shared the court together. Once again, the same can be said for the worst two defensive lineups.

Horford is not, was not, and never will be a power forward. Playing him alongside Robert Williams would be a huge mistake.

Whether the Boston Celtics want to start Horford or bring him off the bench, the most important thing to note is that he is a center through and through.