Boston Celtics: 1 stud and 1 dud from C’s first win of season over Rockets

Boston Celtics stud: Al Horford

For the second consecutive game, we at the site believe that, of those who contributed at the highest of levels for the Boston Celtics, Al Horford‘s impact and production warrant him the nod for the stud of the night.

Already known to be one of the C’s most versatile players, it should come as no shock that we witnessed the veteran big man positively affect virtually every aspect of the game, especially when on the less-glamorous defensive end.

Logging 29 minutes by exhibition’s end, Horford went on to post an impressive stat-line of 17 points and ten rebounds to go along with one assist, three steals, and three blocks. Not only were his efforts on both sides of the ball obvious simply from the eye-test alone but, with his team-high +18 box plus-minus score, it showed up in the box-score metrics as well.

Despite seeing continued struggles from 3-point land (shot just 1-6 from deep) Horford remained focused and aggressive, driving the lane more often than not which, in turn, managed to earn him nine attempts at the charity stripe, where he converted on eight of them.

On top of this, even with his faulty shooting from deep, his well-documented history of being a quality marksman still ultimately helped unclog the paint on offense when he stepped out on the perimeter, allowing for more of an abundance of quality driving lanes for his teammates.

Through his first two games back with the Boston Celtics, Al Horford has only proven to be a much-needed positive contributor.

We’re happy to see him donning the green and white threads once again.