76ers happy to have Al Horford — and to not have to deal with him on the Celtics

Al Horford and the 76ers have had some difficulty maximizing what he can do for them since arriving as a free agent from Boston.

He wanted to play beside a true center in Joel Embiid, but Philadelphia is still looking for the right harmony with those two and Ben Simmons, a guard who seems more suited to playing in the paint.

Even with those issues that the Sixers still hope to iron out, the club took a decent 31-18 record into last night’s game against the Bostonians. And when it comes to this particular matchup and the potential for it occurring in the postseason, there is a Horford benefit for Philly even if he doesn’t quite hit his marks.

As long as he’s not in a green and white uniform, he won’t be able to be a key defensive component in the Celts’ ability to defend Embiid and, sometimes more importantly, the driving Simmons.

Sixer coach Brett Brown told the Herald as much last summer just after the Horford signing became official. He loves both having him and not having to play against him.

“That was a byproduct and, like you say, an ancillary type of benefit,” Brown said back then. “But it really didn’t influence one thing that we did to try to recruit him and sign him and all of that. But if you’re saying that losing a player like this hurts them, this is true. It’s an added benefit, I suppose, to what is a pretty attractive package for our team.”

After Saturday morning’s walkthrough at the Garden, Brown was reminded of the July conversation.

“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, because, you know, the playoffs judge all,” he said. “But I stand by that initial comment.

“You know, Al’s coming in and trying to figure some stuff out, too. Like, he’s more in like a Robert Horry role where I’m having him stretch the floor and play defense. I put him in some pick and rolls, but not as many as he was used to. His role had changed a little from what we was used to. So when Joel goes out, that’s the role that he is used to as a pick and pop 5 (center). But alongside of Joe, it’s more of a stretch the floor role.”

It’s clear, though, that Brown would much rather be in his present position — figuring out what to do with Al Horford than what to do against him.

“It’s true,” Brown said. “I stand by my comment, and I’m thrilled that he’s not a Celtic anymore.”

Meanwhile, Horford is happy to be a Sixer — but not necessarily happy to be away from Boston.

Having been unable to play in Philadelphia’s first visit to TD Garden, Saturday was his first time here in uniform since leaving. But the crowd gave him a warm reception at the December 12 game.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest,” he said. “But I was happy with that. A lot of respect, mutual respect — from the fans and also my respect to them.”

No doubt, Boston was more than just a temporary place of employment for Horford and family.

“A lot happened here in my three years, on the court and off the court,” he said. “Two of my little girls were born here, and, you know, on the way over I was looking at Mass. General, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I was there.’ Just a lot of good memories. All I have is positive memories here of my time.”

It is also helping him as a 76er that he remembers what the Celtics went through last season as they failed to live up to their roster. Horford has taken something away from the experience.

“Just really understanding, I guess, how to deal with certain expectations,” he said. “I think last year we had a lot of expectations, and we were all new in a sense in that position. This year coming in with the Sixers, there’s a lot of those similar expectations, and just making sure that more than ever I’m not getting too high or too low, you know, taking it game to game and trying to keep the group together as much as we can. I think that’s important.”

When he looks at his former club, he sees, too, what dealing properly with relationships and the coach’s plan can bring.

Asked his thoughts in this season’s Celtics, Horford said, “Just very explosive offensively. I think coach (Brad) Stevens, he probably wanted to more of that before. It’s great to see Jayson (Tatum), Jaylen (Brown) flourish in that system. They’re playing with a lot of confidence and just offensively they’re just tough. They just have a lot of weapons.”

As for what he meant by “more of that,” Horford said, “Yeah, ball movement, the way coach Stevens wants to play and the positions he wants to put guys in. Everything just seems better.”

But that may not be the case if the un-Horford-ed Celtics have to face the 76ers in the spring.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/36NxeJl