On the Brink: Predicting the fates of 16 borderline NBA Hall of Famers
By Cal Durrett
2) Al Horford
Boston Celtics big man Al Horford has been wildly underrated throughout his 17-year career but is he a Hall of Fame-caliber player? Some believe so, though much of his impact is highlighted in advance stats. For a decade, Horford was the backbone of the 2000 Atlanta Hawks teams, which went to the playoffs all nine seasons with Horford between 2007-08 and 2015-16.
He later found a second home with the Celtics and was a starter on their 2024 championship team. Still, Horford doesn't have the traditional counting stats for a Hall of Fame-caliber big man, with him unlikely to score 15,000 points despite playing nearly 1,100 games as well as about 8,500 rebounds.
Five all-star appearances help him get consideration and his advanced stats are comparable to LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldrige has 5,000 points and has a much higher PER. at 20.6 compared to Hordford's 18.1, Meanwhile, true shooting percentage and win shares favor him and both players trail Blake Griffin in the last three categories.
Ultimately, Horford shouldn't make it in over Griffin or Aldridge, who are more deserving; even without comparing him to another borderline Hall of Famer, he has had a very good career but not a truly great one.