10 NBA superstars who are not considered superstars

6. Al Horford

Midway through last season, when the Cleveland Cavaliers were a mess of a team and the Celtics were looking like the Eastern Conference frontrunner, Al Horford joined superstar teammate Kyrie Irving as one of Boston’s two All-Star representatives. This wasn’t new for him, as Horford is a five-time All-Star and former All-NBA pick.

When Irving went down with season-ending knee surgery, Horford became the team’s on-court leader. He was the heart and soul of the Celtics during their unexpected run to the conference finals, when they came one win shy of making the NBA Finals.

Even though he had some big games on the big stage — particularly against LeBron James and the Cavs when most of the basketball world was watching — Horford wasn’t (and still isn’t) getting superstar accolades. Perhaps it’s because he does everything but score a lot of points.

Horford averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game during Boston’s 2018 postseason run. He had more double-digit rebounding games than 20-point scoring games. Horford made big defensive plays and was an effective offensive facilitator for a center, but he was the Celtics’ fourth-leading scorer in the playoffs — and that was with Irving out of the lineup.

Horford may have been Boston’s most valuable player in Irving’s absence, but more of the spotlight went to youngsters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were more productive scorers.