CHARLOTTE, N.C. — During the first 68 days of 2022, Jayson Tatum has had the best plus/minus in the NBA (plus-358). That honor going to Tatum comes as no surprise based on Boston’s recent run of success and the incredible surge that the All-Star forward has been on, capped by 44 points in Boston’s rout of the Hornets on Wednesday night.
No. 2 in those standings in the NBA for 2022 is not an All-Star on some other team. Instead, it’s 35-year-old Al Horford (+270) who has been as pivotal as any player not named Tatum in turning around Boston’s fortunes in recent weeks.
The 6-foot-9 big man posted another efficient double-double in Wednesday’s win with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes. He also shot 50 percent from 3-point range for the fourth straight game, lifting his 3-point percentage on the year to 32.2 percent.
For much of the season, 3-point shooting was the only thing that the veteran was struggling with in his second go-around with Boston, shooting a paltry 30 percent from beyond the arc before the All-Star break. Horford was playing some of the best defense of his career but Boston’s offense still was below average in part due to Horford’s inability to punish sagging defenses with his jumper.
The tide has changed in a hurry on that front in recent weeks, however. Horford has shot 42 percent from 3 since the All-Star break, paving the way for Boston to become the fourth-best offense in the NBA since the start of February. Some regression to the mean was expected based on Horford’s career averages but his teammates have empowered the senior member of the Boston roster to find his groove.
“I think it’s the fact that we’re continuing to jell but also, you know, the guys continue to trust me and have confidence in me being in those positions,” Horford said. “And whether it’s Jayson or Jaylen staying in my ear. The way that we’re moving the ball and everything also makes things a lot better for everyone. Yeah, I’m just happy to shoot it better this last stretch.”
Coach Ime Udoka also credited Horford’s young teammates to carry him out of those early season slumps with their decision-making, ensuring they keep getting consistent looks.
“Our ball movement and unselfishness has improved throughout the year, so guys maybe expecting it more,” Udoka said. “Jayson, Jaylen and the creators are trusting them. So, they know they’re going to get those looks. We’re on them when they don’t make the extra pass, and guys are expecting it and ready to shoot now.”
The fact that Horford’s shooting has come around has been just one of a host of reasons that Boston has won 22 of their last 28 games. However, the decision to use a first-round pick to acquire the big man is beginning to look like one of the best bets of Brad Stevens’ young tenure at the helm of the Celtics. As evidenced by his plus/minus numbers, Horford has been an integral connector on both ends of the floor with his younger teammates and has saved some of the best basketball of his career for one of his final seasons.
His accolades over several aspects of his game are jaw dropping in the midst of his 15th best season. He’s shooting 57 percent from inside the arc, the second-best mark of his career. He’s got the best free-throw rate since 2018, his best rebounding number since 2013 and his block rate is simply the best its been in its entire career. All while playing 30 minutes per night at age 35 and ranking second on the team in games played. The Celtics are 37-21 when he’s on the court, and just 4-6 when he sits.
“I mean it is a long season and for me,” Horford said. “Continuing to see how I can impact the game by finding ways that – I just feel like when we’re getting closer to the playoffs, when the playoff start, just the magnitude and how much these games mean. For me, personally, I feel like my game elevates because of that. So it’s just a lot of fun to be in this position right now.”
The Celtics’ decision to bring back Horford helped them get off of one of the worst contracts in the NBA in Kemba Walker. The team needed the financial savings and gave up a first-round pick to help seal the deal for some payroll reduction. Still, Horford’s play on the court next to Tatum, Brown and Smart was always a draw for Stevens according to league sources as he pursued the move.
Horford had brought the best out of those guys as a defender, facilitator and floor spacer during his first stint in Boston. His return now has helped that trio along with Rob Williams turn into the most dominant five-man unit in the NBA. That group is opening the door towards the Celtics contending a bit faster than anyone around the league could have imagined with this core with this 22-6 dominant stretch.
That type of leap would not have been possible in all likelihood if the Celtics had stood pat with Walker, whose injury woes only grew worse this year. That contract would not have been incredibly tough to move as time went on, wasting another year of prime Tatum and Brown in the process without sufficient support around them in the frontcourt. Instead, Stevens bounced on a proven commodity in Horford who has been as crucial to the Celtics’ success this year as anyone not named Tatum.
Bringing back Horford was a pretty big first swing in the batter’s box for Stevens at the helm in Boston but it’s one that he has connected better than anyone could have imagined.
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