Joe Mazzulla gives exciting Al Horford update after preseason absences

BOSTON — According to Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who spoke with the media pre-game on Sunday night, Al Horford will play in the team’s final preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Horford did not appear in either of the games Boston played in Abu Dhabi, he missed Saturday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he will not play against the Raptors on Sunday.

Mazzulla ensured that Horford has not been not dealing with any sort of ailment. The team is simply ramping him up slowly before the start of the regular season. The 38-year-old will be entering his 18th season of NBA action this year, and with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined for a couple of months, the Celtics will need him healthy.

That’s the team’s top priority at the moment.

Al Horford will play on Tuesday vs. Raptors

Boston’s game against the Raptors on Sunday night will be led by the reserves, as Mazzulla is benching the Celtics’ entire starting lineup from the previous evening: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet.

Horford’s lone preseason appearance will be his only chance to warm-up for the season against real NBA competition, but Mazzulla is confident in where he’s at.

“Yeah, he'll play on Tuesday. He's good. He's ready to go,” Mazzulla said. “Ramping him up, getting [him] in shape, working hard. So, he'll play on Tuesday in Toronto.”

While Horford may be ready for the start of the regular season, he will almost certainly still be sitting out on the second night of back-to-backs, as he has been doing since re-joining the Celtics ahead of the 2021-22 season.

With that in mind, Boston’s backup big-man rotation will need to step up. That means more minutes for Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta.

Kornet has been sensational during the preseason thus far. He’s been starting in place of Horford and fitting in seamlessly with Boston’s regular rotation guys.

Tillman has been just as exceptional. His three-point shot looks legit, he flashed some playmaking chops in Abu Dhabi, and his versatile defense continues to be his most intriguing asset.

Queta has been the least impressive of the bunch, but he’s still young. He’s an electric shot-blocker with elite athleticism, but foul trouble continues to plague him at times.

Horford’s warm-up match against the Raptors will be fans’ only chance to watch him before Opening Night, but he’s been a beacon of consistency since entering the league, so there shouldn’t be much cause for concern.