Month: July 2016

Al Horford’s decision to come to Boston not only marks the first big name free agent to join the Celtics via free agency in what feels like ages, but it also makes this Celtics team a whole-lot better. Landing such a big-name is huge for the team’s future, because Boston has simply not been a destination for marquee players in this league. The City itself simply doesn’t have the same appeal to these 27 year old millionaires as say a Miami or LA does, but once they get here and take the floor, then they then realize how special this city is. Take Kevin Garnett for example, he said no over and over to being traded here and it took the Celtics to resign PP and  acquire Ray Allen to finally get him to come, and he ended up loving this city more than any athlete perhaps ever has. Ideally, Horford can be one of those guys to attest to that.  Now to the actual basketball aspect of this move,  Horford was quite possibly the best big men on the market, and certainly one of the only true franchise players available. Much of what we have seen thus far in free agency has been solid or even just average players signing for absurd money, but Horford is one of the few guys who truly is worth the monstrous contract he received. Luckily, the Celtics needed to reach the cap number, so being able to spend it on a player who is actually worth it is a very big deal. Horford is a 4 time allstar who is very much still in his prime and adds the veteran/big man presence the Celtics have been lacking.

This move is also great because Horford’s skill set fits flawlessly into the way Brad Stevens runs his team. Stevens uses a lot of pick & roll plays at the top of the key which is something Horford excels at. Boston already has a guy who runs the other end of this play very well in Isaiah Thomas, so given the size of Horford and the speed of Thomas, this could serve as the bread and butter for the C’s all year long.

Horford has also developed into a very productive shooter the past few years as well. As a 7 footer, having the ability to knock down a three makes you very difficult to defend. Likewise, his ability to run the pick-and-pop is what really makes him the star that he is. This versatility will leave him and the Boston offense as a whole extremely unpredictable. In pick-and-roll situations there really is no correct way to guard him. If you follow him tightly he can use his size and strength to take you to the rim however if you leave him with space, he’ll have no problem knocking down an 18 footer.

Having to respect both areas of his game will clear up a ton of space for the rest of the C’s on the court, which bodes well for guys who can effectively get to the rim. Isaiah Thomas makes his living doing this, so giving him  extra space to use his quickness will be a huge plus for him, but also rookie Jaylen Brown. Brown who was selected 3rd overall out of Cal showed in his summer league debut he too is not afraid to put his head down and attack the basket. He earned himself 17 free throw attempts in that game and he too could benefit very well from this move.

Horford ability to demand attention, stretch the floor, low post presence and rim protecting abilities should make him worth every cent he was given.