Although Jimmy Butler is no longer a Philadelphia 76er, adding Al Horford opens up so many possibilities for the team on offense.
Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand made one of the biggest splashes of free agency thus far this past Sunday, as he used $109 million to take Joel Embiid's kryptonite in Al Horford and turn him into his teammate, giving the city of brotherly love what is quite possibly the best big man duo in the league.
The Philadelphia 76ers were four bounces away from beating the eventual NBA champions in the eastern conference semifinals, and instead of sulking and attempting to reboot, they went out and signed a top 20 player in the NBA to help them become title contenders.
There are not many things that Horford can't do on a basketball court, which is exactly why he has given Embiid fits over the past few years. His versatility is the main reason why he is going to fit so well with Embiid, as their inside-outside duo will give fellow eastern conference contenders nightmares.
Horford plays much like young Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns, in that he can punish smaller bigs inside while being a lethal weapon from deep, forcing big men with shaky footwork on the perimeter and spacing the floor for his fellow scorers.
Over the past three seasons, Horford has shot 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, and Towns is the only starting big man in the league to shoot better than that mark on at least 500 attempts.
One main difference between Horford and Towns is that despite Towns being much younger, Horford has been a much more reliable defender and a much smarter passer both around the rim and on the perimeter. The former Florida Gator may not score 30 points a night, but he doesn't need to when he shares the floor with such a prolific scorer in Embiid.
In fact, Horford not needing to score a lot of points all the time may be the biggest advantage for Philadelphia, as there will not be many shots to go around with Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris on the floor.
While Horford's statistics last season didn't exactly jump off the page (13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 blocks), the man doesn't need to put up flashy numbers in order to make an impact on both ends of the floor. His basketball I.Q. is off the charts, and his veteran savvy and willingness to be the glue guy who sets screens and helps on defense can help the Sixers in an infinite amount of ways that don't show up in the box score.
It's always a good thing when a team can take their biggest weakness and turn it into one of their strengths, which is exactly what the Sixers have done in acquiring Horford. There's a case to made that losing Horford will be more detrimental to the Celtics than losing Kyrie Irving, as while Kyrie's scoring is replaceable, Horford's veteran presence and ability to sacrifice for the greater good of the team will be much harder for Bean Town to make up for.
While Horford's addition does make the loss of Jimmy Butler a much easier pill to swallow, perhaps the most beneficial part of Horford now being a Sixer is the fact that he provides the team with a reliable center when Embiid inevitably gets injured.
Had it not been for Pascal Siakam handling the load for Kawhi Leonard when he was hurt for some of the regular season, it's very possible the Raptors don't win the title this past season, because Leonard would have broken down at some point in the playoffs.
While he's not nearly the same athlete that Siakam is, Horford can be that same player for Philadelphia this upcoming season. The Sixers are not nearly the same team with Embiid off the floor, as in the 2019 playoffs, they were plus-143 with him on the floor, and minus-107 with him off of it.
As sad as it is to say, for a 7'0″ big man who has had multiple foot surgeries and countless knee problems to stay healthy through a grueling NBA season is a risky bet at this point. This is a man who deliberately falls to the ground all the time to take pressure off his feet; he is almost never going to be 100 percent healthy. Horford can not only excel when he is sharing the floor with the former Kansas Jayhawk, but can pick up the slack and lessen the opposing team's damage when Embiid isn't playing.
With his high basketball I.Q. and increased time spent out on the perimeter away from physicality, Horford's game should age well, making him the perfect counterpart to Embiid on the Sixers. He has never had to jump out of the gym to make an impact, lessening the miles on his aging legs.
While some NBA executives were questioning why the Sixers would pay upwards of $100 million for a guy who “plays the same position as your best player,” Horford's game should pair well with Embiid for years to come, as the duo can provide a versatile offensive attack while anchoring a smart defense on the other side of the floor.
One of the most common praises of Horford's lengthy career is the fact that he is always been a high character guy; a man who can be a leader on any team and won't cause problems in the locker room while providing veteran leadership to some unwieldy young players.
Hopefully Horford's amazing work ethic and leadership prowess can rub off on Embiid, as one of the few weaknesses of the superstar's young career so far is that the man doesn't show signs of emerging signs of leadership and shows signs of immaturity both on and off the court.
Playing next to a man who knows how to play the game correctly and how to be a leader in Horford can help Embiid unlock his full potential as a player.
And while paying Al Horford upwards of $25 million a year in three may not look the greatest three years from now, all the intangibles that Horford can rub off on Embiid make every cent of that contract worth it.
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