The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly signed Al Horford in free agency this past summer because Horford has a history of defending Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo fairly well, according to Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice.
Horford’s fit with Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons has been iffy all season, and now he's coming off the bench and getting booed by Sixers fans in pregame intros at home games.
When Horford signed a $109 million contract with the Sixers, no one saw him coming off the bench even though many pundits around the league knew his fit with Embiid and Simmons was questionable. H
here we are. The Sixers are bringing Horford off the bench and now his future in Philadelphia is pretty up in the air moving forward:
Defensively, Horford's drop-off is an even bigger story, as that is the area of the floor where he was expected to make his money. Sources with knowledge of the front office's thinking attributed the signing at least in part to the job the Sixers would have to do in the playoffs against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is in the midst of what looks like another surefire MVP campaign. On Christmas Day, Horford looked capable of living up to that expectation, combining with Joel Embiid to stifle the Greek Freak and earn a statement win over Milwaukee.
Horford has appeared in 57 games for the Sixers this season. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from beyond the arc and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
While the Sixers are on their way to making the playoffs barring an incredible collapse, head coach Brett Brown and his staff have to figure out which lineups are the most effective come playoff time, especially in the fourth quarter when the game is in the balance.
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