Boston Celtics: 5 Reasons Why Al Horford Can Transform The Celtics

Versatility

There are few things more enjoyable to watch on a basketball court than a player who is at ease in all domains of the game, will stuff the stat sheet, and simply do everything their team needs from them to get a win.

Al Horford is, and has been for many years, exactly that kind of player. I’ve already touched on Horford’s ability to cover guards defensively, but the former third overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft can also run the floor like a guard too.

A sight that became an ever-present during his stay in Atlanta, Horford often goes on solo missions where for a brief moment in time he appears to be the only player on the floor. It takes a special kind of skill to be able to block a shot or grab a rebound and then take it end-to-end, but that’s exactly what Big Al has in his locker.

As my good friend and fellow HoopsHabit scribe Andrew Snyder explained in a recent piece on this very subject:

"“Horford is an easy player to fall in love with. He was a fan favorite, now a legend, in Atlanta. It won’t take Celtics fans long to fall head over heels. He is every cliche about sports wrapped into one player. He’s a hard worker. He’s a good teammate. He’s a leader in the locker room. Most importantly, he’s a damn good basketball player, and a versatile one at that. In the era of pace and space, Horford is what you want your center to look like. Put simply, he can shoot, he can pass, and he can play defense. He impacts the game in several areas. If one facet of his game is slumping he can more than make up for it in another way.”"

Related Story: Boston Celtics: Al Horford’s Versatility

In a league that craves two-way players, Horford doesn’t just play generically great offense and defense, he can also take a key role in executing the minutiae of his team’s schemes on both ends.

Big men who can pass, shoot and defend like Horford don’t come around very often.