The Dominican’s second stage with Boston will also be marked by what he can contribute off the court in the development of the team’s young talents
Pending issues. This may very well be the slogan of the new stage of Al Horford with the Boston Celtics who came via trade for Kemba Walker, and Brad Stevens, the team’s new head of Operations, has a clear goal.
The goal of this and all the moves made by the former Celtics coach seek to maximize the talents of Jayson tatum and Jaylen brown.
“Now I am more comfortable. I know a lot of the players very well. It’s easy to talk to them, what I think about something and I feel like I’ve been more vocal on this new occasion”, Declared the Dominican before the start of the preseason.
Although he has “a lot in the tank” to contribute, the player who enters his 15th season in the best basketball in the world is clear that his role will be very different from the 2016-19 stage, although not enough time has passed, things They have changed, including the role that Stevens, who is one of his biggest fans, plays in his career.
JB to Horford like nothing’s changed 👌🏾 pic.twitter.com/7ZefBI418T
– Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 5, 2021
“It’s weird, he (Brad Stevens) has been very good in my career. It has always been present but for me now it is different. I’ve always called him ‘coach’ and now I see him and I just say ‘hey’ and I don’t know what to call him yet, ”Horford joked at a press conference regarding his relationship with the team’s new President of Operations.
Horford feels that just starting the preseason, this group has an established continuity, as they were only able to work together for a few weeks in September and this was no obstacle to their being on track to run and run as if it were a regular season to date. He is the oldest player on the roster, surpassing Enes Kanter by six years in experience, the only two players on the roster with at least 10 seasons of NBA experience.
And what the Puerto Plata does during the season will be key to the good development of the chemistry of a team that could surprise many at the end of the regular season. For better or worse.
“Having a player like Al (Horford) has enormous importance, the way he comes to play, leadership. It is also important to highlight some things that he has brought such as his versatility, what he can do passing the ball, his handling and his shooting ability. He is an extremely valuable asset, ”concluded Ime Udoka, the new Celtics coach.
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