Celtics big man Al Horford reflects on his tough season with the Sixers
When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Al Horford away from the rival Boston Celtics in the summer of 2019, they had a master plan. Horford was always giving Joel Embiid trouble and he was a key reason for Boston’s success so the Sixers wanted to bring him in to team up and also backup Embiid.
It seemed like a brilliant move at the time, although pricy at 4-years and $109 million. Horford was regarded as one of the better defensive players in the league and he was a guy who has made All-Star appearances while also experiencing a lot of success in the league.
However, while the plan on paper sounded good, it backfired on the floor. Horford’s time playing next to Embiid was tough as there was not nearly enough space for the two big men to operate out on the floor.
Horford struggled averaging only 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 45% from the floor and 35% from deep. He was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020 offseason for Danny Green after only one tumultuous season in Philadelphia.
After Horford and the Celtics knocked off the Sixers on Wednesday, he was asked to reflect on his time in Philadelphia and acknowledged that it was a tough time for him.
Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
“I’m very grateful, because my faith kept me strong through that time,” Horford said of his tenure with the Sixers. “It was a very low point for me at the beginning when it all went down, looking at having to go to Oklahoma City with me in my 14th year.”
“That year was a difficult year for me in Philly,” he said, “no question about it.”
Celtics coach Ime Udoka also chimed in as he was an assistant in Philadelphia at the time with Brett Brown. Udoka said, per Pompey:
“None of us loved the way it went in Philadelphia for him and the team in general,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who was a Sixers assistant that season. “It sounded good. Joel, who missed about 20 games a year so you had your backup in play that could also play with him. But we just never found our footing with him. I don’t think we used him properly with some of the matchups we had in there.”
Now, back in Boston and playing his natural position of center, Horford is looking like his old self again averaging 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds along with 1.8 blocks. He is beginning to show off his skills again and the Celtics are benefitting from it.
Horford was always a good player, and he still is, but the fit with the Sixers was not a good one. He can now move forward and get back to who he was before signing in Philadelphia.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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