What is Horford's best position on a contending team?

[slamtheking]

OK, I'm a bit confused with regards to our front court and I believe the root of my confusion is around Horford's preferred/best starting position. Is he our starting 4 or 5?

I was almost certain that he didn't want to play the 4 which is why when Dwight came to ATL he was upset. Now I'm reading articles about him preferring to play 4 as opposed to the 5.

We had a clear gap at PF, but if Horford wanted that position wouldn't we have been in search for a reasonable starting C... there were a few available and are still available in FA.

I believe he prefers to be upright and that's the best position for him to be starting in.  he's not much use if he's sitting or in the prone postion   

[tstorey_97]

Amir Johnson started 80 games @ 20 minutes per game @ 6'9" 250 lbs last season.

I felt, for CB debate sake, that Baynes would kinda be Amir this year and start. A veteran who can move and even jump a little at 6'10" 260 lbs next to Al sounds like Stevens sort of set to open the game anyways.

The flexible NBA thing is fine, but, it's still match ups that drive the rotation. Hayward at the two next to Thomas on the Celtics has to defend the best guard. Baynes has to defend the starting center and Crowder is kept where belongs defending the SF...sort of.

With that first rotation all heck breaks loose. The bench looks like one of the better in the NBA if Brown and Tatum can keep getting better.

Smart
Rozier
Brown
Tatum
Morris

This could be a dangerous bunch despite their youth.

[KGs Knee]

Amir Johnson started 80 games @ 20 minutes per game @ 6'9" 250 lbs last season.

I felt, for CB debate sake, that Baynes would kinda be Amir this year and start. A veteran who can move and even jump a little at 6'10" 260 lbs next to Al sounds like Stevens sort of set to open the game anyways.

The flexible NBA thing is fine, but, it's still match ups that drive the rotation. Hayward at the two next to Thomas on the Celtics has to defend the best guard. Baynes has to defend the starting center and Crowder is kept where belongs defending the SF...sort of.

With that first rotation all heck breaks loose. The bench looks like one of the better in the NBA if Brown and Tatum can keep getting better.

Smart
Rozier
Brown
Tatum
Morris

This could be a dangerous bunch despite their youth.

I will be majorly surprised if Crowder is starting this year. Hayward shouldn't really be defending SG's. I think they give that job to either Brown or Smart.

[tstorey_97]

Amir Johnson started 80 games @ 20 minutes per game @ 6'9" 250 lbs last season.

I felt, for CB debate sake, that Baynes would kinda be Amir this year and start. A veteran who can move and even jump a little at 6'10" 260 lbs next to Al sounds like Stevens sort of set to open the game anyways.

The flexible NBA thing is fine, but, it's still match ups that drive the rotation. Hayward at the two next to Thomas on the Celtics has to defend the best guard. Baynes has to defend the starting center and Crowder is kept where belongs defending the SF...sort of.

With that first rotation all heck breaks loose. The bench looks like one of the better in the NBA if Brown and Tatum can keep getting better.

Smart
Rozier
Brown
Tatum
Morris

This could be a dangerous bunch despite their youth.

I will be majorly surprised if Crowder is starting this year. Hayward shouldn't really be defending SG's. I think they give that job to either Brown or Smart.

I hope you're right, knee. Makes that bench even better.

[jbp126]

Contending team? Starting 5.

Championship team? First big off the bench.

[Rosco917]

His feet are too slow to be a fulltime 4, but he doesn't like the constant banging of being a 5.  He's more a hybrid 4/5 to be honest.



This^
He's a nice big for our system, but I'd like to see him be paired with a true center even so often.

[ETNCeltics]

Contending team? Starting 5.

Championship team? First big off the bench.

Horford is a better player than either starting center in the finals last year.

[jbp126]

LOL at all these pretentious responses.

The clear answer is 5. 

Go look at any of our clutch lineups, all of them include Al at the 5.

Also, how does positionless basketball work when you are drawing up a play?

When you draw up plays there are 5 players that need to be directed 1-5 and any player that comes in for another player needs to follow the play pattern for his position (1-5).

Please dont take  Brad so seriously, the guy 100% still operates in a 1-5 format for his offensive sets... there is no other way to do it.

you're taking the position less thing too  literal. Amir played the 5 most of the time least year. That's position less

?

Which one of you is incoherent?

[jbp126]

Contending team? Starting 5.

Championship team? First big off the bench.

Horford is a better player than either starting center in the finals last year.

Yes, but both their 4s (Love debatable but a proven champion) are better players than Horford. Al could easily be the starting 4 or 5 on a championship team if we're comparing him to the likes of Tristan Thompson and Zaza Pachulia but I'm assuming we're talking about the Celtics as a contending/championship team.  In that case, he's a starting 5 while we're building a contender.  However, his best position on a championship team is coming off the bench.

My reasoning is mostly that we're not currently a championship team.  To grow into one, our young prospects will need to develop and we'll need to upgrade at the 4/5 (possibly Ayton or Bamba).  When that's the case, Horford will be still be talented but older, slower, and no better of a rebounder. Hence, he'll best be suited coming off the bench.  Even currently, to be a starting 4 or 5 on a championship team, Al would need the perfect rebounding, rim-protecting, floor spacing 4/5 next to him.

[incoherent]

LOL at all these pretentious responses.

The clear answer is 5. 

Go look at any of our clutch lineups, all of them include Al at the 5.

Also, how does positionless basketball work when you are drawing up a play?

When you draw up plays there are 5 players that need to be directed 1-5 and any player that comes in for another player needs to follow the play pattern for his position (1-5).

Please dont take  Brad so seriously, the guy 100% still operates in a 1-5 format for his offensive sets... there is no other way to do it.

you're taking the position less thing too  literal. Amir played the 5 most of the time least year. That's position less

?

Which one of you is incoherent?

Seeing as I cant make any sense of CelticsElite post I would say he's the incoherent one.

[kmart12]

I'm over the "position less" scheme that CBS has adopted to this team; Horford is a C who desperately needs to play alongside someone who is quicker and can protect the rim better than he can (i.e., block shots and defensive rebound). He's like a SF playing in a PF's body who has to play C because he isn't athletic enough to do otherwise.

[jbp126]

LOL at all these pretentious responses.

The clear answer is 5. 

Go look at any of our clutch lineups, all of them include Al at the 5.

Also, how does positionless basketball work when you are drawing up a play?

When you draw up plays there are 5 players that need to be directed 1-5 and any player that comes in for another player needs to follow the play pattern for his position (1-5).

Please dont take  Brad so seriously, the guy 100% still operates in a 1-5 format for his offensive sets... there is no other way to do it.

you're taking the position less thing too  literal. Amir played the 5 most of the time least year. That's position less

?

Which one of you is incoherent?

Seeing as I cant make any sense of CelticsElite post I would say he's the incoherent one.

Just a corny joke on your username.  I agree, 5 positions still exist and taking both the 1-5 positions and "Brad's three positions" too literally is a little foolish. 

Positionless basketball, skilled ball, small ball, whatever you want to call it is great when you have long, versatile players, but natural positions are still a part of the game.

[Ed Hollison]

Here's a related question: What's Draymond Green's best position? I'd say center, because the Warriors' best lineup is one that pairs him with Kevin Durant and Iguodala. He's the default "biggest" guy on the court (yes, I know Durant is taller).

Similarly, the Celtics' best lineup is one with Horford as your biggest player. If you want to call that a center, sure. That lineup should also have other guys that can do pretty much everything on offense, and guard pretty much everybody on defense. That's how you win in the NBA these days.

As for a starting lineup: You should pair Horford with an Amir Johnson or Aron Baynes type, just like Golden State started Bogut and Pachulia the past couple years, even though they didn't typically finish games. Gives you some toughness to start the first and third quarters, and it saves Horford over the course of 82 games.

[Moranis]

6th man

[DooVoo]

There are no more PFs. It is Bigs-Wings-Ball Handlers. Horford is a big.