Boston Celtics: 3 goals for Al Horford in 2018-19

1. Be a veteran presence

Every team needs to have veterans on the roster to succeed and develop the youth. It’s hard for young players to grow into great players if they don’t have anyone to teach them. That’s why it’s common to see young teams sign veteran players on the last legs of their careers because they have a lot of things to share.

For the Celtics, they too are a one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Currently their average age is 25.4 years old. That ranks within the top 10 of the NBA. For a team to be that young, it’s hard to expect them to be so good.

Yes, it’s no secret that the Celtics are one of the better teams in the league, despite being so young. Horford is currently the oldest player on that team at 32. Aron Baynes is not far behind him at 31. On the Celtics’ roster, Horford has played in the NBA the longest and has the most playoff experience.

He’s played in a total of 111 playoff games — the most by any player on Boston’s roster. He’s played in 718 NBA games total. Add that up and he’s well over 800 games played in his career.

That experience will go a long ways on a young team. Players like Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Terry Rozier will certainly learn a thing or two from him. That will be important for the Celtics moving forward. Players like Horford don’t come around often and he must be there leading his team and pointing out things for to improve upon.

If he can do these three things, the Boston Celtics will have another successful season on their hands. Al Horford is a gifted player and he might even be their most important two-way weapon.