The Boston Celtics are already playing without big man Kristaps Porzingis. Now, they have another big man on the injury report: Al Horford. The veteran won't play on Friday night as the Celtics face the Charlotte Hornets. However, there's no reason for Celtics fans to worry. According to Celtics PR, the veteran center is out due to “load management.” Whenever Boston has back-to-back games, Horford typically rests for at least one of the contests. This keeps the 38-year-old fresh and may explain why he's participated in at least 63 games in each of his past three seasons.
Horford will sit Friday and likely play on Saturday night when the C's face the Hornets again. He'll join Porzingis on the injury report, who's missed the entire season so far because of a rare injury he suffered during the 2024 NBA Finals. The Latvian big man could return as soon as December, bolstering Boston's star-studded roster.
How has Al Horford played this season?
In Porzingis' absence, the rest of the Celtics have had to step up. That's not a new challenge for Horford, who's certainly been up to the task of being Boston's primary backup.
The reigning NBA champion only played in one preseason game, yet has shown no signs of rust. He's averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per outing to start the 2024-25 campaign. Most notably, Horford is shooting 56.7% from the floor and an incredible 60% from deep—connecting on 12 of his 20 attempts from 3-point range.
On the defensive side of the ball, he's notched five steals and three blocks through five games.
Who backs up Al Horford on the Celtics?
Boston loves a good volume of 3-pointers, and Horford follows that plan of attack well. His reserves, including centers Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Neemias Queta, aren't as apt to shoot beyond the perimeter.
But, that doesn't mean they can't fill in when called upon. In fact, during the Celtics' Wednesday night loss to the Indiana Pacers, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla played Queta down the stretch. The 7-footer recorded a team-high nine rebounds in only 14 minutes and boasted the highest plus-minus rating of any player on either squad. Despite being in the league for three seasons already, he's never averaged over 11.9 minutes per game.
When the C's needed to erase a 24-point deficit, Queta brought the necessary energy, crashing the offensive glass and extending possessions to help his team find life again. Although Boston lost in overtime, falling to 4-1 on the season, it came back and was boosted by Queta's minutes.
Mazzulla has no problem riding the hot hand, so Queta may see the court earlier than usual against the Hornets. Or, Kornet, who was featured in Boston's starting lineup whenever Horford didn't play this preseason, could make his first start of the new season.
Either way, the Celtics will be heavy favorites on Friday. They were last November for their first meeting of the 2023-24 season, but the Hornets stole a win in Charlotte, upsetting the C's 121-118 in overtime. The Celtics will look to avoid déjà vu and give the 2-2 Hornets a losing record.
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