current location:HOME > Sports News > Basketball Hub > Text content

NBA Stats Notebook: Why Al Horford is the Celtics' playoff X Factor

nqajqrqw7months ago (05-19)Basketball Hub194

Professional basketball players are in a constant state of datacollection. Al Horford's been logging tricks of his trade for 16years, and it's helped him reinvent his game to suit a team in thetitle hunt.

Horford, age 36, will be the fourth-oldest starter andfifth-oldest rotation player in the 2023 NBA playoffs, behind onlyLeBron James, Chris Paul, PJ Tucker and Kyle Lowry. He hasdramatically transformed his game to suit the era and needs oftoday's league, and the Celtics have taken note.

After a March 1 win against the Cavaliers, coach Joe Mazzullaalluded to Horford's evolution, heightened by his experience andattention to detail.

“It’s massive,” Mazzulla said postgame. “He’s done a great jobthis year in recognizing coverage and screening. ...And herecognized the coverage [the Cavaliers] were in and popped and shotit. The second time they tried to switch him, he created anadvantage. He’s constantly trying to find small ways to reinventhis game.”

Horford is averaging his highest minutes per game (30.6) of thelast five seasons, but his on-ball role has diminished tocareer-lows according to practically every go-to metric (usagerate, touches, touch time, etc.). He's played five total seasonswith the Celtics across two stints; comparing his usage acrossthose years is fascinating. Here's some touch data from PBP Statshighlighting three such years: his All-Star season in 2017-18, hisfirst season back in Boston in 2021-22, and this current one.

YearTouches/gameFrontcourttouches/gameElbow touches/gamePost touches/gameSeconds per touch2017-1863.540.03.15.22.202021-2249.229.42.21.91.732022-2345.725.41.10.91.53
Share with friends:

“NBA Stats Notebook: Why Al Horford is the Celtics' playoff X Factor” ofrelated articles

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 22 Recap: Boston, Dallas take decisive Game 3

Day 22 of the 2024 NBA Playoffson Saturday night had the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Maverickstaking the decisive Game 3 to now lead their respectiv...

Orlando Magic agree to 4-year extension with head coach Jamahl Mosley

The Orlando Magic have agreed toa multi-year extension with head coach Jamahl Mosely, the teamannounced today. The extension is for four years, accord...

Spencer Dinwiddie to join Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers

Spencer Dinwiddie will sign withthe Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers, according toThe Athletic's Shams Charania.Dinwiddie and his agent, Jaso...

Joel Embiid's 70-point game puts exclamation point on historic season

January 22 will forever besolidified as one of the best days of basketball in NBAhistory. On the anniversaryof Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, Joel Embii...

NBA Roundtable: How do you define Most Valuable Player?

Every year, there’s a hugedebate surrounding the NBA’s Most Valuable Player race. There’s noclear-cut criteria for MVP, which begs thequestion:How do...

Pelicans better understand love languages of All-Star relationships

Paying customers and plenty of mediamembers have loudly expressed their frustrations with how the NewOrleans Pelicans have handled the injuries and up...