Weeks into experiment season for the Celtics, at least one thing stands out each night as different than what we’ve watched for the last year-plus from Boston. Whether new lineups, changes to the offense or a new role for individual players, we’ve watched **Jrue Holiday** return to point guard, **Luke Kornet** join other centers on the floor and **Derrick White** guard the rim in a small ball lineup. **Baylor Scheierman** entered the rotation.
On their 6-0 road trip, veteran **Al Horford** returned to the post. An area he all but abandoned over the past three seasons to become a full-time three point shooter. Whether these trends will matter or not, **Joe Mazzulla** stressed the need to try everything they could need later. And as he and the coaching staff saw defenses more aggressively guarding Horford on the perimeter, they sent him to the rim to shoot 8-for-10 inside five feet over his last four games. That increased his attempts from 1.5 per game this season to 2.5 recently.
“I give a lot of credit to coach Tony Dobbins, because he’s been working with me and challenging me and putting me in positions to reach those levels,” Horford said in Memphis on Monday. “Earlier in the year, I was probably just straight up shooting a little more, but teams are starting to try to run me off the line or closing out a little harder. Tony, he’s seen that and he’s challenged me there to work on getting to the basket and being able to play-make and do other things besides shooting.”
Horford finished 3-for-5 inside the arc in the win and 25-for-39 (64.1%) on twos, well above the league average (54.4%) on those shots. He’s producing 0.98 points per possession on his limited (0.7 per game) post-ups each night at’s comparable to **Jayson Tatum** (1.03 PPP), who goes there 1.2 more times per night, and much better than **Jrue Holiday** (0.86 PPP), who splits those sets with Horford based on the matchup. Defenses stashing smaller defenders on Horford, knowing he won’t body them, should allow for more of those opportunities.
That also could allow for more Horford pick-and-roll activity. His default, popping to the three point line, allowed him to bring mismatches into the action for Tatum and others.
If teams try to play more aggressive coverages against Tatum later, there’s some value in Horford slipping out of his screens to either use his vision on short rolls or attack the basket himself.
Horford rolling is not an efficient play, producing 0.98 PPP on 1.3 possessions per game, but it’s a way to keep certain defenses off-balance and draw multiple defenders to Horford for him to keep the ball moving.
“The guys (are) finding other ways to add to their game and be more well-rounded,” Mazzulla said. “I think Al’s done that multiple times in his career. I think last year, with the addition of Jrue and K.P., teams defending us certain ways, how can he be impactful for us and be at his best? So I think over the last few years, his screening has gotten tremendous and he takes real ownership and pride in the physical aspects of the game, screening, rebounding and fighting for positioning.”
“It’s been good for us, because we’ve been able to unlock some different stuff offensively through his versatility.”
The shift toward Horford attacking the interior came as such a big surprise because it happened while he and **Kristaps Porziņģis** continued to share the floor for significant minutes. Normally, Porziņģis would screen and attack the switch during those times while Horford spaces in the corners or above the break.
There’s value, however, in breaking up the monotony of isolating the best matchup the defense gives you over and over. At times, opponents have given up a matchup or shots to take the ball away from other options in Boston’s offense and grind the Celtics’ movement and activity to a halt while they watch one person attack repeatedly.
That happened in Memphis on Monday when **Jaren Jackson Jr.** abandoned Horford to help inside while Tatum drove. Tatum fired passes repeatedly to Horford, who finished 6-for-13 from three and attempted the most shots he had all season (18).
Horford, by hitting those shots and mixing in some different looks, scored 26 points and became a more efficient threat than **Jrue Holiday** did when Memphis forced him to beat them in December.
“Just taking what the defense gives you, regardless of what that is,” Mazzulla said. “They test you, they’re really physical, they’re handsy, they forced us into some live ball turnovers at the beginning of the game and I thought once we settled in, we were able to make the reads that we wanted to make.”
Horford continues to shoot open threes, up to 4.1 wide open ones per game from 2.8 one year ago, but he’s also a larger part of the offense overall. His usage (13.7%) increased nearly two percentage points overall in the games he played while Boston sprinkled in more rest for him alongside more minutes (27.7) when he did appear.
He’s effectively become the team’s depth wing with Porziņģis consistently available and Kornet emerging as a valuable contributor at center. But the three, lethal at times for him in recent seasons, fell to 36% from 41.9% in 2024. Last postseason, it regressed to 36.8% overall due to a stunning 9.5% mark when shots went from wide open to open.
“I’m a little bummed for (Tatum),” Horford said after the Memphis game. “Because he had some great passes for me there at the end and I couldn’t knock them down.”
It’s easy to forget about what Horford used to do inside offensively and reignite it given how long it’s remained dormant. No part of his game has undergone a larger regression, with his shooting inside down to 64.4% from 67.5% in his first Boston season and 69.7% in his first season back in 2022. He fell from 50.5% then on 5-9 feet shot attempts to 44.1% to begin this year, almost never taking them. On the trip, he tried 1.3 per night.
The Celtics remembered, increasing his drives per game from 0.9 to 1.1, generating more free throws, 0.7 per game up from 0.5 one year ago, and in turn receiving more in the passing game from Horford, who’s making 26.8 each night compared to 19.6 in 2024.
He’s a strong facilitator and over the past four games where his inside activity increased, his assist rate ticked back up to 11.5% from 10.4% for the season. Playing closer to the basket also puts him in better positions to grab offensive rebounds.
It’s not a sign of things to come. But it’s a wrinkle Boston now has in its back pocket with Horford poised to play another significant role in their playoff run.
“For me, it’s always just staying ready and trying to play the right way,” Horford said. “I put in a lot of work, so even though that I’m older, I feel like I can do things when I’m called or contribute or impact winning, and it all goes for me with my preparation and my work.”