Boston Celtics: 5 goals for Al Horford in 2017-18

4. Staying strong in the paint

Al Horford remaining on the Boston Celtics core is a reason for optimism this upcoming season despite the rest of the major moves this offseason. He is a very capable and at this point in his career, a stretch-5 that can do a little bit of everything. While his rebounding numbers have taken a fairly steep dive among just some of his flaws, a few have risen. One that has taken a slight dip, however, is his field goal percentage in recent years.

Last season Horford shot a career low 47.3 percent from the floor, marking a fourth straight decrease in this number. While he has only begun shooting the 3-ball on a consistent basis just two seasons ago, it has taken a hit on his numbers where his team faces struggles as a whole.

Just as he should find himself down low fighting for rebounds more often, Horford thrives when he is in the paint on offense. When he is not on the outside, which is where he takes more shots than he ever has in his career, he attempts shots within three feet of the basket 21.3 percent of the time. His 70.8 percent shooting from that range speaks to the reason he can be considerably more effective there.

Spreading the floor is a useful tool for spacing on offense, but two of Horford’s primary goals for the 2017-18 season should find him getting to know the inside more often than ever on defense and offense.