Al Horford’s importance on the floor is clear to Boston Celtics fans who watch the 31-year-old play on a nightly basis, but that apparently wasn’t so clear when it came to drafting him in the NBA All-Star Game.
The Celtics forward reportedly was the second-to-last pick in the NBA All-Star Game draft, getting selected just ahead of San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
Although the draft was not publicized and the picks mostly were kept discreet, a league source informed Haynes of the final two picks, with Horford landing on Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s team.
Horford addressed the prospect of him being the final pick earlier in the day before the news broke, and it doesn’t sound like it was taking up too much headspace.
To a degree, this is not an entirely surprising development. Horford doesn’t exactly play a flashy game, and thus his stats are not always indicative of his abilities on the floor. He is one of the best in the NBA at spreading the floor, and he’s become even more of a threat this season after improving his shooting from the perimeter.
But given the high-flying nature of the All-Star Game and non-stop excitement, it’s not entirely surprising that someone who is tremendous at shooting from 12 feet off the pick-and-roll was the penultimate selection.
Nevertheless, Horford still very much deserves to be in the game for the fifth time.
