Player Facts
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 240lbs.
Date of Birth: June 3, 1986
College Experience: Florida (3 years)
Selections
All Star: 5
All-NBA: 1
All-Defensive: 1
Player Grades
Speed/Explosiveness: 4
Physical Strength: 8
Positional Size: 8
Positional Wingspan: 8
Paint Scoring: 8
Midrange Scoring: 7
Three-Point Scoring: 7
Dribbling: 5
Passing: 7
Perimeter Defense: 5
Interior Defense: 8
Rebounding: 7
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STRENGTHS
Intro
Al Horford brings veteran leadership, intelligent defense, floor spacing, and valuable playmaking to the frontcourt. His offensive versatility means that he can play power forward but is at his best as the lone big man in the lineup. The former Florida Gator has always been more of a smarts and skills-based player than a bruiser type.
Floor-Spacing Center
He has added the three-ball into his game in his thirties. As both the trail man into the frontcourt and as he slips out of the screen, Al employs his reliable-enough set shot from deep. He hit 36%, 35.1%, and 36.6% on his catch-and-shoot threes in 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021 respectively.
An indicator of Al having potential as a three-point shooter was his free throw shooting. From his early years until his more recent ones, Horford has oscillated between average and above average from the stripe.
Playmaking Hub
Al had the sixth-most elbow touches in 2019-2020, speaking to how key he is as a handoff delivery man and as a good playmaking hub. Horford is a consistent source of shot creation for others regardless of the names on the back of their jerseys. He can find cutters as his guards and wings buzz around the floor.
Horford has become more of a playmaking short roll guy than a scoring-minded dive man. His decision-making here is rapid and usually correct.
After a very solid 1.15 points per possession as the roller in 2018-2019, he dropped to 1.04 in 2019-2020, then fell again in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Still, he remains a value-giving screen setter with his blend of shooting, court vision, and modest roll gravity.
Horford is also an intuitive facilitator on the short roll, making the kinds of swings and even lobs that are rarely found in five-men. He's frequently used as the post-entry feeder because he's so rock-steady as a passer.
Considering Al's playmaking duties, the Dominican-born big rarely turns the ball over. In fact, he finished with a glorious 3.57 assist-to-turnover ratio in his 2021-2021 29.1 minutes per game. That mark bested all sorts of starting guards, from Dejounte Murray to Mike Conley and Jalen Brunson.
Interior + Midrange Scoring
Horford has really good hands to snare passes in traffic. This and his consistently elite rim finishing make him an optimal resident of the dunker spot. An undersized big, Al will quickly dribble it under the rim, using it as protection for a swift finish on the other side of the hoop.
He will use the midrange as a spot to score the basketball. Besides little slips into space after setting ball screens, Al pulls from here when his men sag off.
The sag occurs because Horford is a strong passer out of the high post area so they try to shrink his available passive windows. 2019-2020 saw Al accrue more midrange buckets than Domantas Sabonis, Jimmy Butler, and Kemba Walker.
Posting + Miscellaneous Offense
Al has never been a killer in the post compared to some of his big man peers. This does not preclude him from being capable against mismatches, however, and he maintains his vision here for some kickouts.
If the opponent decides to switch a 1-5 pick-and-roll with Al screening, he can walk them down to the block. He remains solid against similarly sized bigs as well. Horford's patented move is a righty hook shot, often off glass, on which he displays nice touch.
He can even make plays off-the-dribble for you. This falls in line with Al's somewhat unique game as a primary five-man. These rack attacks usually begin with a perimeter pump fake, and can end with either a dunk or a pretty dish.
His overall play isn't always captured by the box score. He runs the floor hard, sets good screens, and is very much a calculated defensive player. Al's defensive prowess has been predicated on timing and positioning since his early days as a Hawk.
Paint Protection
You could do a whole lot worse in terms of your defensive anchor on the backline. While not the most vocal or boisterous leader, Al leads by example on the court. He's a smart defender with perpetually sound body positioning.
Never the model of explosiveness, Al guards the rim by being at the right place at the right time. He contested 483 two-point shots across 2019-2020. The savvy big man totaled more of these than Anthony Davis, Mitchell Robinson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo that year.
Horford has given you 1+ block per 36 minutes from his rookie season in 2007-2008 all the way to his 2021-2022 campaign. He has managed to keep his fouls remarkably low after a couple of years of adjusting to NBA basketball.
Moreover and more recently, opponents have shot less than their normal clip on all two's with Al there in 2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022.
Defensive Maneuvering
His pick-and-roll defense is impressive, combining mobility, length, and defensive intelligence. Al's one of the headier defensive big men in the NBA.
He's great in a moderate drop rather than a deep one thanks to an ability to still lunge out or bluff to the ball-handler if he shoots. Horford always keeps his near-7'1" wingspan out to deflect passes and alter shots at the iron.
Bodying Up
Horford's man defense is great, and reasonably switchy, as long as his counterpart isn't an especially speedy player. Guarding mostly fives, he held opponents in isolation to 0.86 points per possession or lower in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. 2021-2022 had him at a glistening 0.72 points-per-play against mark on all iso's.
Moreover, he was in the 64th percentile defending these player types as roll men (2021-2022). Al's defense here was stingier than Bam Adebayo, Serge Ibaka and Clint Capela that year.
He is a good post defender, if a little small against true seven-footers. Horford holds his own with a strong base and clinical defensive footwork. Having a plus wingspan too serves to help Al aptly contest larger opponents.
WEAKNESSES
Defensive Weak Points
Horford's athletic deficiencies curtail his positional versatility on defense. He does fine on some switches, but it's suboptimal for him to be out on the perimeter defensively. His foot speed isn't what it used to be, nor was it ever a pillar of his on-court worth.
Mediocre Center Rebounding
Rebounding isn't one of Horford's best attributes. He's fine on the glass, but big-minute centers comfortably outrebound the undersized Al. He rarely compiles lofty board totals at 6'9" with limited vertical explosiveness.
Remaining Issues
Al's toughness can reasonably be called into question. More specifically, his willingness to get physical down low or sacrifice his body leaves something to be desired. From 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, he drew zero charges. Additionally, his 2.4 contested rebounds per night in 2019-2020 was beat out by swingman Aaron Gordon.
He's never been able to get to the line at a prolific rate. The five-time All-Star makes his money being a complementary offensive piece rather than a scoring force. This is somewhat of a shame, as Al is a good free-throw shooter when he is there.
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