Ranking the Top 10 players in the Celtics-Heat first round series
By Ben Grunert
No. 8: Al Horford
Al Horford’s game has aged like fine wine. The 37-year-old big man is the NBA embodiment of veteran leadership, and Tatum even called Horford his favorite teammate ever in November.
"Al is like my favorite teammate I've ever had."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 16, 2023
Jayson Tatum talks about how his relationship with Al Horford has changed over the years 🤝💚@jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/szYgAryXYs
Horford, who will turn 38 in June, shot better than 41% from the 3-point line for the second straight season. He nailed 1.7 threes per game on 41.9% shooting, one year after he led the entire NBA in 3-point percentage with a 44.6% clip.
Although Horford played the fewest minutes per game (26.8) of his career, he started in 33 of his 65 contests. Often replacing one of Boston’s regular starters during a back-to-back set, Horford continued to provide the Celtics with his strong defensive presence and his elite 3-point shooting.
Big Al still plays some of the best post defense the league has to offer, and he seems to move as well as he did ten years ago. His ability to switch onto smaller players has made him a plug-and-play option for a Boston defense that relies on switchability across the board.