Horford is playing like a kid

[rollie mass]

He loves grabbing boards and taking off up court with the dribble. He seems joyful in his distributing  from high post and there is something different in Kyries style that is complimentary with Horford
 Matter of fact they seem to be playing with the joy of basketball purists-enjoying the youth and the blending by Brad
Basketball can be fun when played as a team-like the Spurs used to play
Horford has that Duncan feel these days.

All said and done that is yesterday and next its OKC Marcus has had some of his best games away vs Westbrook and playing on his old turf .

[kozlodoev]

I am shocked he hasn't been called for palming yet. He carries the ball every time he does that.

[Roy H.]

Horford was good last year, but his energy is through the roof right now. Maybe it’s being around all the young guys?

[Erik]

Something people forget is that horford came into the league at 21. He has only 10 seasons of NBA mileage. Compare that to Kyrie, whom we call a kid entering his prime, at 6 seasons. NBA mileage is a thing. Remember Grant Hill's renaissance ? He came into the league at 22 and was injured for so many seasons in his prime that he played at an abnormally high level into his late 30s. So LeBron, for example, has a ton of miles already but still young. We may see him break down before Horford.

resigning horford to a vet minimum will be the key this team to become unstoppable in a few years .

[cons]

TP
  I've been thinking this year Horford reminds me of Duncan. inside / outside / defense / passing. and not a hint of anything suggesting that this isn't just the way it always should be and always will be - that ultra calm demeanor.
   it has been awesome to watch!

wow. what a start. cant ask for more really.
hope it keeps up!
 

[SHAQATTACK]

he is slender and fast .....not seen him this athletic in years .  Who ever trained him needs a raise.

This version is the max player we bought.

[JBcat]

Al Horford did suffer a concussion around Halloween last year so maybe that had some lingering effects into the season.  Baynes is also much more of a brute force than Amir Johnson so maybe that allows Al to play more freely.

[Granath]

I don't think Al is playing much different than last year or any other year of his career.

Statistically, he's almost dead in line as last year with only two notable exceptions. First, his defensive rebounding rate is an unsustainable 26%. It reminds me of Bradley's unsustainable 8 rebounds per game through November of last year. It's a blip that will regress to norms. He's also shooting 38.5% from 3 point land which is sustainable but would be a career best.

Other than that he's not playing much different than last year. The real difference is that Al doesn't have to bang with the really big guys. Baynes is doing that work. Those 20 minutes per game are incredible valuable. Baynes' ability to shoot 50% from 10-15 feet draw out any big men leaving Al more room to do what he does best - facilitate and dominate smaller PFs. Al didn't have a guy to do that dirty work last year and that takes a toll on both ends of the floor. No wonder he looks a bit more lively this year. He's not getting beaten up as much.

So if you want to praise Al go right ahead. But give a nod to Aron Baynes at the same time.

[cons]

TP Granath too - totally agree w that. Baynes is a revelation!  why has it taken us so many years to get a competent big guy in here? look what happens when u have one! haha

 loving baynes. showing there's still a role for good big guys even in the new NBA - they still add a hug value if used properly.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

TP Granath too - totally agree w that. Baynes is a revelation!  why has it taken us so many years to get a competent big guy in here? look what happens when u have one! haha

 loving baynes. showing there's still a role for good big guys even in the new NBA - they still add a hug value if used properly.

Totally how I feel.

[Celtics4ever]

One of the things, I like about Al is how his game compliments others.  He makes guys on the team better and covers their butts on D.

[ChillyWilly]

One of the things, I like about Al is how his game compliments others.  He makes guys on the team better and covers their butts on D.

YUUUP! It is very clear Al takes pride in making everyone's job on the court easier. He talks about "making job easier" when referring to his teammates all the time. He's not a me player he's an us player who will try to make the right play instead of get his.

How can you not like that type of guy on your team?

[2short]

I am shocked he hasn't been called for palming yet. He carries the ball every time he does that.

Everyone in the nba palms it now

[Eddie20]

So LeBron, for example, has a ton of miles already but still young. We may see him break down before Horford.

Horford is younger than him.

Like Granath said, the key is Baynes.