Perhaps Boston Celtics veteran Al Horford is taking a page out of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s book when revealing his ambitions for the near future.
With the 2022-23 season serving as year 16 in the NBA for Horford, the 36-year-old has thought ahead. Despite acknowledging that the game of basketball is changing, leading to some offseason adjustments in his offensive arsenal before the year, Horford remains optimistic about his future — not just in the NBA, but in a Celtics uniform.
“Yeah, for sure, I’ve thought about it,” Horford told Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports following Monday’s 125-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I want to keep playing for two, three more years, for sure.”
Playing 11 games thus far this season, Horford has averaged 11.3 points 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 53.9% from the field, 45.1% from beyond the arc and 62.5% from the charity stripe. While playing 31.6 minutes per game, Horford has averaged his highest total in minutes since the 2017-18 season.
Set to earn $26.5 million this season, Horford is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
“I think obviously there’s so much stuff that’s going on here,” Horford said. “That’s going on with the coach and stuff and just other guys and things like that where I’m just being patient. I’m sure that when the time comes we’ll get to something. But, yeah, I want to keep playing. … I think earlier in my career I would have been surprised to still even be playing this year, this long. But when I got here, I remember Danny (Ainge) talking to me. He was like, ‘Man, the way you take care of yourself, you can keep playing into your late 30s, even 40 if you want.'”
Through the first 14 games of the season, the Celtics have begun the year on a convincing note. Boston leads the league in offensive efficiency (118.8), 3-point field goals per game (15.6), and points (120) while knocking down 48.4% of its total field goal attempts, good for third-best in the NBA.
“There’s a sense and level of maturity from our guys, and I feel like once you’re tested in the playoffs the way that we were last year, it can do a lot of good things,” Horford said. “And I feel like we keep each other on edge here. I think that’s the best way.”
The Celtics are back in action on Wednesday, facing off against the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff from State Farm Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
