Should Celtics Be Concerned With Al Horford After Preseason Debut?

Al Horford was the final healthy member of the Boston Celtics regular rotation to make his preseason debut.

It could have been rust or something else entirely, but it wasn’t a stellar performance from the aging center.

Horford got into action in Boston’s preseason finale Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors and shot just 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, to go along with two rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes. He also finished with a putrid minus-29 rating in the 119-118 loss for the Celtics at Scotiabank Arena.

Even though it was just preseason action, Celtics fans probably wanted to see more out of Horford given his importance to the team. If there’s one area in which the Celtics have a weakness, it’s their big man group with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.

But Horford wasn’t worried about his ineffectiveness in the exhibition contest. He seemed to use the game for what it was: a tune-up before the regular season starts next week.

“I felt good,” Horford told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “It felt good just to be out there, be part of a game, get up and down and get a feel back for it. So, I’m pretty happy with being back.”

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There are more question marks surrounding Horford than any other key member of the Celtics. It’s valid to be concerned about Horford being 38 years old and how much of an impact he can make at that age — he’s the seventh-oldest player in the league. He’ll be counted on more during the beginning of the season with Porzingis expected to be out until sometime in December, which will cause more wear and tear on Horford.

The Celtics, as they have been the last few seasons, will be careful with Horford’s workload, though. They won’t play him in back-to-backs and will try to keep his minutes down at points. But how much does Horford have left in the tank after three straight long playoff runs? He didn’t exactly have too many memorable moments in Boston’s run to a title in the spring.

Celtics fans should hope that Horford’s preseason showing was just him trying to get back into a groove after a long layoff without game action and not a sign of things to come.

The good news is that Luke Kornet, who went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 10 points and six boards, showed well in the preseason as did Xavier Tillman. Neemias Queta displayed some promise, too. That trio can help buoy Horford, at least until Porzingis gets back.

Horford most likely will be his usual self once the regular season commences. He’s too much of a consummate pro to not make some sort of impact on the floor.

But it’s clear he’s in decline and that cliff followed by the precipitous drop can sneak up on players, even ones as good as Horford.