With the end of ranking season in sight, the arrival of the final installment of Bleacher Report’s annual positional rankings has arrived right on time, and it might surprise the fans of the Boston Celtics to see one of their most important players ranked so low — and another not ranked at all.
The entirely absent big man is Robert Williams III, perhaps excusable if injury is the reason for the snub. But the folks at B/R peg veteran big man Al Horford at only 22nd in the league, with age evidently something more than a number to the panel behind the ranking. “Al Horford is a rock-solid, multi-position big who was a vital part of the Boston Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals last season,” writes Eric Pincus.
“Horford posted 12 points and 9.3 rebounds in last year’s playoffs while shooting 48% from 3 on over four attempts over 23 games,” he adds. “At 36 years old, though, the question is how many seasons he has left at that level.”
Celtics Lab 147: Breaking down Boston’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers with Ky Carlin https://t.co/4SCSzaY0nm
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
If we squint very hard, we can see the logic. But biased as we are in favor of the Florida alum, if LeBron James is getting the benefit of the doubt on potential decline among their assessment of wings, we feel Horford ought to as well.
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