Because the Celtics opened coaching camp this week, Al Horford formally started his tenure with the Golden State Warriors.
The veteran large man and locker room chief selected to go away Boston this offseason to hitch the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Inexperienced and Jimmy Butler within the Bay Space. On Wednesday, he defined why.
“It was very tough,” Horford told reporters in San Francisco. “Boston grew to become a second residence for me, and simply being in that neighborhood and being a part of that metropolis was one thing very particular for me and my household. So it wasn’t a simple resolution for me to make.”
Horford spent seven extremely profitable seasons in Boston over two stints with the franchise. His Celtics groups reached 5 Japanese Convention finals and two NBA Finals, and gained all of it in 2024. Considered top-of-the-line free agent signings in group historical past, he was universally revered by teammates and coaches, and the Celtics hoped to re-sign him this offseason.
However with Boston anticipated to regress in 2025-26 after shedding famous person Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles (and later starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Vacation to offseason trades), Horford opted to signal with Golden State forward of his nineteenth NBA season.
The Warriors, who had been bounced within the Western Convention semifinals final season, want to squeeze one final championship run out of their ageing core of Curry, Inexperienced and 2025 trade-deadline pickup Butler. The 39-year-old Horford mentioned they had been the one group he would have left the Celtics for.
“It’s an ideal alternative to compete and to win at a excessive degree,” he instructed reporters. “After I take into consideration the Warriors, I take into consideration Steph and Draymond and Steve Kerr, and seeing Jimmy Butler right here, what he did within the second half of the season final yr after the commerce and the way they’re enjoying. For me, if there was one place that I used to be going to go away, (it) was for this. It wasn’t a simple resolution for me to go away Boston, but when there was the place, it was this one. And I occurred to get this chance, so I jumped at it.”
Horford’s signing was delayed by the Warriors’ extended negotiations with 22-year-old ahead Jonathan Kuminga, whose contract dispute lasted all the offseason. Kuminga and the group ended their stalemate Tuesday by agreeing on a two-year, $48.5 million extension, clearing the way in which for Horford’s arrival and a number of other different minor roster strikes.
Having to attend a number of months to signal was “undoubtedly a bit odd” for Horford, however he mentioned he by no means thought of retirement.
“In no way,” he instructed reporters. “I knew I wished to maintain enjoying.”
Whereas Horford continues his profession out west, the Celtics are transferring ahead with an untested large man rotation headlined by Neemias Queta, who was fourth on the depth chart final season behind Porzingis, Horford and Luke Kornet. Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman additionally will compete for minutes in Boston’s frontcourt.
One other three social gathering?
The Celtics set an NBA report for made 3-pointers final season, averaging 17.8 per recreation on 48.2 makes an attempt. In addition they led the league in 3-point makes and makes an attempt in 2023-24. Will that development proceed?
Head coach Joe Mazzulla, all the time cautious of showing game-plan secrets and techniques, has spoken principally in generalities when requested how he plans to make the most of his new-look roster. He did supply some interesting insight, nevertheless, throughout an look Wednesday on 98.5 The Sports activities Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand.”
“Pay attention, every little thing comes right down to: How can we make the most of the roster and the strengths that we’ve?” Mazzulla mentioned when requested if the Celtics will take as many threes this season. “So for those who check out our group dynamics over the past two years, threes had been simple as a result of there was 5 guys on the ground always that would shoot. That is the primary yr that we don’t have a stretch 5. Not having a stretch 5, that’s at the least eight to 10 threes that you just’re going to have to show into various kinds of photographs otherwise you’re going to need to create various kinds of 2-on-1s.
“During the last two years, we’ve had 5 guys on the ground always that shot 36% from three or greater, so when there was a 2-on-1, it was a really tough resolution for the protection to make, and it was a really pass-pass scenario, in order that created catch-and-shoot alternatives. However I believe your shot profile is all the time going to match the strengths of your roster, and so we’ve various kinds of strengths.”
Mazzulla was referring to the swap from Porzingis and Horford — one or each of whom began 70 of Boston’s video games final season — to Queta, the brand new favourite to start out at middle. Porzingis (6.0) and Horford (5.2) each averaged greater than 5 3-point makes an attempt per recreation in 2024-25, and each made greater than 36% on these makes an attempt. Queta has tried three 3-pointers in his NBA profession and missed all three.
Gamers have mentioned the Celtics plan to account for the losses of Tatum, Porzingis, Horford, Vacation and Kornet by playing much faster this season.
“We’re a bit bit youthful,” Mazzulla mentioned on 98.5. “We’re a bit bit quicker. We’re a bit bit extra athletic. And so on the finish of the day, we’re simply going to take the photographs that the protection provides us, and we’re going to look to search out other ways to create 2-on-1s.”
Laborious begin to camp
To organize for that faster-paced strategy, Mazzulla is working his gamers arduous in the course of the opening week of coaching camp, in line with assistant coach Sam Cassell.
“We’re going to play arduous, we’re going to compete,” Cassell, who’s been concerned in each NBA season since 1993 as a participant or coach, mentioned on “Zolak & Bertrand.” “We’re going to be the hardest-playing group in basketball, and that’s how camp goes proper now. I’ve been on this enterprise 34 years, my thirty fourth coaching camp, and that is the toughest coaching camp (I’ve seen) proper now. It’s solely at some point, but it surely’s so much, and our gamers are embracing it.”
The Celtics entered coaching camp with extra new additions to their 15-man roster (5) than returning rotation gamers (4, not together with the injured Tatum). They did, nevertheless, maintain Mazzulla’s whole teaching employees intact, which president of basketball operations Brad Stevens believes will assist them combine their swath of newcomers extra rapidly.
Together with Cassell, that group contains Tony Dobbins, DJ MacLeay, Amile Jefferson, Matt Reynolds, Ross McMains, Tyler Lashbrook, Craig Luschenat and Phil Pressey, who will coach the G League Maine Celtics this season. All 9 have been with the franchise since 2023 or earlier.
“I believe there’s enormous profit in having teaching continuity by this transition, since you additionally don’t have coaches teaching the assistants to get them on top of things to educate the gamers,” Stevens mentioned this week at Celtics media day. “To allow them to actually assist with that voice. I believe a very powerful factor in the beginning of the season — I do know this sounds very elementary, however it’s — is discovering chemistry and actually on the brink of compete, and bringing your aggressive greatest when the lights come on. I believe that this group, with our offseason work, has proven an actual need to be within the fitness center, proven an actual need to be round one another and get higher.
“However yeah, there’s extra on there’s extra on the blokes with expertise, and there’s extra on the coaches when you’ve gotten quite a lot of new folks to assimilate into the group.”
