Boston Celtics: 2017-18 player grades for Al Horford
By Mason McFee
Final grade
The Celtics’ season may be over, but they have Al Horford for two more seasons, and while Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens will assuredly be looking for more of what they’ve seen from Horford so far, with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning next season, Al just has to continue to be his normal, versatile self.
Could Al Horford have bumped his scoring average a bit after Gordon Hayward went down? Sure, but then that takes away shots from Jayson Tatum, and maybe he doesn’t have the breakout season he had.
Could Al Horford average a few more rebounds per game than 7.4 per contest, considering he’s 6’11”? Sure, but he also was the Celtics’ leading rebounder this past season, and was the previous season as well.
Could Al Horford just do a little more on offense? Sure, but he also increased his 3-point efficiency from 35.5 percent to 42.9 percent in just one season (albeit on a slightly decreased volume).
Al Horford is a good player, and is worth every penny of his max contract.
Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)
Grade: A