Robb: Al Horford Makes Immediate Impact In Celtics Debut
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- During the preseason, Al Horford's teammates constantly raved about just how versatile the 6-foot-9 big man was in all facets of the game. In Wednesday night's opener, the 30-year-old showcased just how well he could do a little bit of everything in front of the TD Garden crowd.
Horford's box score line in Boston's 122-117 win over the Brooklyn won't jump off the page at you (11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks) but the steady contributions across the board earned him some rave reviews from teammates in his Celtic debut.
"He makes our team way better," Avery Bradley explained after the game. "Al just understands how to play the game. He's a great teammate. I love playing with him."
"[He does] everything," Isaiah Thomas added. "He opens the floor, he makes it easier for everybody, he's always in the right spots. He's a threat at all times. He can hit the 3, hit the mid-range and also post up. So he has the full package, and he's a guy that makes it easy for everybody."
It was Horford's offensive impact that stood up the most during a night in which the Celtics scored 122 points or more for just the fourth time in 247 games coached by Brad Stevens, according to C's play-by-play man Sean Grande. The former Hawk was an integral part of that relentless offensive barrage, pulling the Nets bigs out of the paint with his shooting and finding the open man when the ball found him as seen here.
Coming from an offense in Atlanta that was predicated on ball movement under Mike Budenholzer's system, the transition looked seamless to Boston in Game 1 as he helped Boston's perimeter starters all post nights with 17 or more points. As a team, the Celtics produced assists on 36 of their 48 made baskets, a number that put them at the top of the league through one contest.
"It was great," Horford said of the ball movement. "Guys were really moving the ball well and that'd kind of contagious. When you start having success like that, we'll have an opportunity to wear teams down if we're able to move the ball at that pace. I was impressed. 36 assists. That's pretty good."
Bradley credited Horford for instilling that kind of unselfish mentality in his teammates.
"He made some great passes all night," Bradley said. "It's contagious and he knows that coming from Atlanta, where they shared the ball very well. It's part of the success, part of why they were successful, and we want to bring that here. We have a lot of players who can have a great night in the offensive end or the defensive end. We just have to understand that every game and make sure we're playing team basketball."
Horford's versatility even went as far as running a pick-and-roll as a ball handler. He drew multiple defenders in the paint on the play, allowing him to find an open teammate in the corner for the jumper. The fact that defenses will have to prepare for that kind of a weapon within Boston's unpredictable offense should only help produce what has the potential to be a top-notch offense in the East.
The Celtics will need to shore up plenty of defensive leakage and rust that was on full display against the Nets, but it's fair to note that offense has always been considered a weakness for Boston over the past three years. With Horford in the fold, that could change during the 2016-17 season as was seen on opening night.
"He can fit in with any team in the NBA – any team," Bradley explained. "He just knows how to play basketball. He plays it the right way, he's a great leader, and he's contagious. When he make the next pass, it makes me or Jae make the next pass. You know we're all playing for one another. It doesn't matter who's scoring or taking shots, because we're all going to get the ball."
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.