The Boston Celtics faced the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night without the services of both Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, putting the Celtics' depth to the test. Facing an uphill battle, Jayson Tatum needed big games from the team's supporting cast, and that's exactly what he got after Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford all showed out en route to a 117-107 win over the Sixers.
Horford, in particular, was instrumental in Porzingis' absence. His 14 points and eight rebounds may not be too eye-catching, but it was his two-way impact that helped the Celtics immensely. Tasked with slowing down Sixers star Joel Embiid and protecting the paint, Horford responded in a big way, tallying a season-high five blocks. And on the other end of the floor, he was a lethal weapon for the team from deep, making four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc.
Simply put, Al Horford remains one of the best role players in the NBA, and this did not go lost on Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who showered the 37-year old veteran with some lavish praise after an outstanding performance.
“He's the ultimate professional. The ultimate team guy. Does whatever we need him to do on a nightly basis to win,” Tatum said in his postgame presser, via Jack Simone of Celtics Blog. “His level of being poised, his intensity on defense this late in his career, the way he talks to guys out there on the court. We benefit greatly from having Al on our team.”
Al Horford clearly isn't the player he was ten, five, and even two years ago. But his importance to the Celtics remains, with the team having a different level of confidence whenever the composed 17-year veteran is on the court.
“We all believe in him and the work that he puts in,” Tatum added.
Managing Al Horford's health will be crucial to the Celtics' title hopes, as his two-way versatility unlocks a lot of lineup options for arguably the best team in the association. And on Wednesday night, Horford showed exactly that, which is why Celtics fans love him dearly.
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