BOSTON — Al Horford reached his latest career milestone, placing him among a group of all-time Boston Celtics greats.
During the earlier years of his career, Horford relied significantly more on his post-up game in order to score inside the paint. Through the first eight seasons of his NBA career, Horford averaged no more than 0.5 3-point attempts per game. But as times have changed, the 16-year veteran has elected to adapt his offensive arsenal rather than allowing the game to fizzle him into retirement.
This prompted Horford to adjust and apply a great deal of emphasis on his outside shot-making ability, which he’s mentioned several times over the course of his fifth campaign with the Celtics.
That work has paid off, as during Wednesday night’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Horford became ninth all-time in 3-pointers made (462) in Celtics history, surpassing former Boston guard Isaiah Thomas (460), according to team reporter Taylor Snow.
“It’s definitely special, given all the greats that have come through here,” Horford said. “But it also speaks to the way that the game is now. I’m sure that (if) some of those guys were shooting more of these records would be unreachable. So I just happen to be a product of playing in this time. And getting these shots.
“For me, it’s something that we really put it a lot of work behind it and just continue to get more comfortable shooting those 3’s and I’m being encouraged by coach (Joe Mazzulla), by my teammates. Just continue to be aggressive and continue to shoot ’em. It is pretty cool and for me, it’s the way like I feel like I can continue to have an impact on winning, on the offensive end.”
Against the Trail Blazers, Horford scored 17 points and connected on 3-of-5 outside shot attempts. This season, he’s averaging five attempts from beyond the arc, netting them at a 48.5% rate.
And while the month of March is still young, Horford is off to a strong start at applying that offseason work on the floor. He’s shooting 68% from 3-point range and attempting 6.3 per contest, both of which are the highest of any month this season for the 36-year-old.
Needless to say, the Celtics have only continued to benefit from Horford’s offensive adjustment.
