The Boston Celtics are feeling good about themselves having won two straight games, including one on the road, to take 2-1 series lead in the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. In order to get past the Sixers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are going to need strong play from veteran big man Al Horford. Horford has seen his overall numbers and shooting drop a little bit this season but he is still very important to the Celtics offensive attack. Following a hilarious exchange with a reporter when talking about Horford's status as an elite shooter, Jayson Tatum spoke about Horford's capabilities as a shooter and how important he is to the Celtics as per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Now in his 14th season in the NBA, Horford's numbers in the playoffs have slipped a little bit. He did finish Game 3 with 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists and he shot 6-8 from the field including 5-7 from three-point range. When Horford is spacing the floor like that and consistently knocking down the outside shot, the Celtics are that much more difficult to defend.

As far as Horford's status as an elite shooter, he holds a career average of 37.4 percent from three-point range in the regular season and 42 percent in the playoffs. That's pretty impressive for a big man. Throughout the 2023 NBA playoffs, Horford has been averaging 7.6 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocked shots with shooting splits of 44.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from the three-point line.