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The Boston Celtics ‘offseason acquisition in Al Horford is still dealing with lingering effects of a concussion and is uncertain when he'll play again. He was originally diagnosed with a concussion when he was inadvertently struck by a teammate during a practice on Oct. 31.
The Florida product went on the team's recent two-game road trip with hopes of returning to action but said he is just not quite ready to play.
“I'm just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” the nine-year pro said following Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg. “This is something very new to me, so it's just trying to get used to this.”
Horford declined comment on the progress through the NBA concussion protocol.
Article Continues Below“I'm not at liberty to discuss a lot of those things yet,” Horford said. “On-the-court-wise, the times that I've been on, I felt good with my workouts. It's just to play, I'm just not there yet.”
Horford signed a four-year, $113-million deal with the Celtics this summer and has averaged 12 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists through three games this season. Boston is 2-1 with Horford in the lineup, and 3-4 in his absence.
“I want to be out helping my team, and us growing together,” Horford continued. “But the last thing I want to do is have a setback, come in when I'm not supposed to, and set myself back for a longer period of time.”
“We're trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when I'm ready to go, I'm good to go.”
The Celtics have been one of many injury-riddled teams to start the season, as guard Marcus Smart, forward Jae Crowder, and center Kelly Olynyk have all been forced to miss time at some point in the 2016-17 campaign.
The team will host the 2-7 Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in hopes to get over the .500 mark for the first time since Horford's absence.
