Getty Al Horford, Celtics
It was the last question of Al Horford’s Saturday night press conference but the one that might be the most telling as we map out how the Celtics’ rotation will look this season. Horford was asked whether it matters to him, at this point in his career, whether he is in the starting five.
Horford was not ambiguous.
“For me, as a competitor, I want to be in a position to be playing when it matters most,” Horford said. “But I do like to start, that’s just the reality. That’s the competitor in me trying to be, trying to feel like I can contribute and be a great asset. But yeah, to answer your question, yeah.”
Makes sense. In his 14-year career, Horford has started 871 times and come off the bench just 10 times—four as a rookie and six during his disastrous 2019-20 stint in Philadelphia. Nudging him into a bench role at age 35 would be an awkward step for the Celtics.
But will coach Ime Udoka have a choice? He certainly appreciates what Horford brings. “He’s pretty much invaluable for us on both ends of the floor,” Udoka said of Horford.
Can a 2-Big Lineup Work for the Celtics This Season?
The Celtics, ultimately, would like to make Robert Williams their starting center. Williams turns 24 next week and is only in his fourth NBA season—there is still time to work him into that role. Horford could certainly start at center for the bulk of this season with Williams taking over the job next year.
Or we could see more of what we saw from Udoka and the Celtics on Saturday—the two-big lineup, with Williams at center and Horford at power forward. With his age and decreasing speed, Horford is more comfortable at center, but is capable of playing the 4 still in certain matchups.
The Celtics tried using two big guys in the starting lineup last year, with Tristan Thompson at center and Daniel Theis at power forward, but had to scrap the idea because the results were so poor. But Horford said the combo of him and Williams would be different:
I think that is what is gonna make our team so dangerous, the fact that if we need to do that, we’ll do that. If not, we’ll do the more typical thing that has been going on now, four perimeter guys, one big guy type thing. But with us, why I feel it would work is, we all take the challenge, we can guard the perimeter when we need to. With him, I need to space the floor more, that’s kind of what I have to do. He’s the kind of big that, you know, he can pass the ball a little bit. When he rolls to the basket, he puts a lot of pressure on the rim and it opens stuff up for the perimeter. That’s why I am comfortable that if we need to go to that lineup, it will work.
Al Horford Says He’s a Better 3-Point Shooter Now
One advantage a Horford-Williams pairing would have is Horford’s excellent 3-point shooting—he made all four of his 3s in Saturday’s win over Toronto. Horford first began tinkering with the 3-point shot in 2015-16, his final year in Atlanta. He tried 256 3-pointers that year, and made 34.4% of them after having attempted only 65 3s in the first eight years of his career.
Al Horford’s now 4-for-4 from three @Wendys
He continued to grow as a 3-point shooter during his initial three seasons in Boston, where he took 671 3s and made 38.2% of them. His ability to stretch the floor as a shooter makes a big difference, and Horford said he is a better 3-point shooter now than he was during his first Celtics run.
“I think I am a much better shooter,” Horford said. “When I was here, even though I was shooting, it was something that it was kind of new. My 3-point shooting came in different ways than it comes now. I made sure I worked on shooting off the pass quickly, not only off the pick-and-roll, move a little bit if I have to. I do feel like I am a much better shooter now than I was then.”