Al Horford Injury: Danny Ainge Explains Celtics’ Cautious Recovery Plan

Good thing Al Horford is mature enough to know what’s in his best interest.

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explained Thursday during his appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich” why the team isn’t rushing the veteran center back from a knee injury. Horford has missed the Celtics’ last three games and five of their last seven due to tendinitis in his left knee. However, Ainge reassured fans by revealing Horford already would be back on the court if his injury occurred during a crucial period of the season.

“He has tendinitis in his knee,” Ainge said, per NBC Sports Boston’s Darren Hartwell. “… We’re giving him the extra rest so that it’s not a lingering effect. He could play now if he needed to, but we’re just trying to give him the rest to get back to being 100 percent.”

Ainge’s comments echo what Horford told the Celtics website Wednesday: He’s approaching his recovery cautiously so the problem doesn’t flare up again later this season.

The roles of Aron Baynes, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams have increased in recent games, and Ainge is comfortable relying on them to satisfy the Celtics’ frontcourt needs while Horford recovers.

“We’re just trying to give Al the time because we do have depth, especially at the center position,” Ainge said. “So, he’s taking a little bit of extra time.”

The Celtics have won their last seven games. If their current situation isn’t broken, it only makes sense not to try and fix it … to quickly.