Al Horford was cold against his old team, but is still getting some love
Whether you're among the group of Celtics fans that think Boston's front office is overpaying Al Horford, you're on the fence about his impact, or you're positive about his game; his coaches (old and new) seem to unanimously agree that he's a great dude.
This comes on the heels of one of his worst outings in a long time. In his final tilt of the 2016-17 campaign against his former squad, the Atlanta Hawks, Horford struggled hard.
Midway through the third, Al Horford has more fouls (five) than points and rebounds combined. Not his best game ever.— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 7, 2017
Seriously. He improved slightly during the C's late game run, but finished with four points and five rebounds. Not what you want from any of your players logging 27 minutes in a game. Fans in Philips Arena even started a "where is Horford?" chant.
Still, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer had great things to say about Al. Via Jay King of MassLive:
"The things that the fans don't see is what happens in the locker room, and what happens at practices, and what happens on planes and meals and all those things," Budenholzer said. "He's just a good person. I think he's good for young players. I think he has a lot of respect with veterans. On the court, I think his passing, I think even the casual fan sees what a good passer he is. But I think defensively sometimes the subtleties of playing pick-and-roll defense or guarding different guys -- he does a lot of things that impact winning."
That's been echoed by Brad Stevens, and now the Celtics franchise as a whole.
Al Horford has won the Red Auerbach Award in his first year with the Celtics.— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 6, 2017
The Red Auerbach Award is given to the player who most exemplifies being a Celtic, on and off the court. That "off the court" aspect is what his coaches and teammates have had the most to say about.
On the court, Horford has only had one truly bad stretch so far this season (2/16 - 2/27, 1-3 record), and has bounced back from nearly every bad game his next time out. To many fans, he's an extremely valuable part of this team, and his coaches and teammates seem to agree.
Follow Topher Lane on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports.