AL Horford: Unassuming Superstar

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks getting a ton of NATIONAL media coverage that we've never previously gotten. Starting a new series focused on the more interesting (eye-opening?) pieces. Grantland recently focused on the eternally underrated Hawks Big Man.

... people at all levels of the organization furrowed their brows and confessed: Al Horford is not right after recovering from a pectoral tear. We don’t know when he’ll get right, or even if he will this season, and we’re not going anywhere until he’s truly back.

“I appreciated him as a player, but not to the level I should have,” says Kenny Atkinson, a key Hawks assistant who worked with the Knicks until 2012. “Josh Smith and Joe Johnson overshadowed him. He is much better than I had thought.”

Horford probably won’t represent the Hawks in the All-Star Game, but there is something like universal recognition within the team that he is their best and most important player...Horford is slowly regaining his wind and his legs after avoiding all basketball activities for almost a year. The Hawks’ defense has risen with him. Atlanta has had the league’s stingiest defense since December 1, and Horford has tightened up his rim protection during that stretch, according to SportVU data provided to Grantland.

When he’s healthy, Horford is a legitimate NBA superstar — a chameleon who is good at everything, great at some things, and always flying beneath the radar. He doesn’t pile up insane numbers, hog the ball, or appear in national TV commercials. He is concerned only with winning, even if the path there involves sacrificing shots to focus on passing, setting good picks, and battling 7-footers under the basket.

[Jamaaliver]

“Setting screens is an art,” Korver says. “There are some big guys who just aren’t good at the pick-and-roll because they don’t know how to get their point guard open, or how to get themselves open. Al can do everything. He’s not really a center. He’s a basketball player who happens to play center.”

“He kept me in check,” Noah says. “Al is a winner. The only reason he’s underappreciated is that he plays in Atlanta. Everyone in basketball circles knows he’s a top player.”

Opponents have shot just under 50 percent at the rim with Horford nearby since December 1, per SportVU data. That’s an average mark for a big man, but it’s way down from where it was earlier in the season, when Horford was laboring. The team’s rebounding, a potential weak spot, has also improved during that stretch — though Horford will always have trouble against the league’s jumpiest centers:

Horford will also be the guy Atlanta leans on in crunch time. The offense is gorgeous, but a dialed-up playoff defense will gum it up at some point...Coaches around the league think playoff defenses will try to neuter Atlanta by switching more — keeping themselves out of rotation and forcing the Hawks to beat them one-on-one. That is when Atlanta could turn to Horford’s post game.

[Jamaaliver]

Very fitting that AL gets his first(?) Triple-Double in a win tonight without the other top players on the team.

AL should have been the centerpiece of this team for years now.

I truly hope we keep this guy in Hawks uni for his entire career...

Please sign an extension, AL. $52 million over three years with salary jumps every season seems fair($15 million-$17 million-$19 million). He remains the highest paid player. We maintain at least a reasonable amount of flexibility as the cap increases.

[Jamaaliver]

Horford was battling an injury before that Ohio State game, and he could sense the team’s younger big men were nervous about stepping up. He approached Donovan before tipoff and suggested the coach counsel them one last time. “You cannot put a price tag on his basketball IQ,” Donovan says, “and on how he creates chemistry.” The team nicknamed Horford “The Godfather,” because he knew what everyone was doing and thinking, and how to provide just the right quiet advice.

He is still “The Godfather” in Atlanta. “He’s so calming,” Budenholzer says. “I wish I could say that about myself. I draw on him during moments when I’m not poised. He’ll say something calming to me, and to the team.”

Veterans on the Atlanta team that Horford joined in 2008 noticed his maturity right away. “As a veteran, you see all these rookies come in with certain priorities,” says Zaza Pachulia, a member of that team. “You could see Al was different from other rookies. He just wanted to win.”

A MUCH better nickname than his current one...

[simon24]

Very fitting that AL gets his first(?) Triple-Double in a win tonight without the other top players on the team.

AL should have been the centerpiece of this team for years now.

I truly hope we keep this guy in Hawks uni for his entire career...

Please sign an extension, AL. $52 million over three years with salary jumps every season seems fair($15 million-$17 million-$19 million). He remains the highest paid player. We maintain at least a reasonable amount of flexibility as the cap increases.

Yeah Al is underrated. I think he'll wait until next off-season, too much uncertainty right now with the Hawks - new ownership coming in - they may blow up the team, got to see how the team does in the playoffs, he might get traded during the offseason.

[Hawk Eye]

IMO there are five different levels of players in the NBA

-Superstar
-Star
-Role Player
-Veteran
-Rookie

I'd put Horford at star level

[SBM]

Superstar
All-Star
Star
Role Player
Non Rotation Player

Horford is merely a star for this team. A star can be a star on his team but not be one of the stars of the league which is a all-star.

[ATL Boy]

I agree that he's not on the level of superstar, but Al is spectacular nonetheless. I consider only a few players to be legit superstars in the NBA: Lebron, Durant, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, arguably James Harden and possibly Westbrook. I might be missing some but it's a pretty exclusive club. I still appreciate Al however, and consider him our most important player.

[ATLHawksfan21]

I agree that he's not on the level of superstar, but Al is spectacular nonetheless. I consider only a few players to be legit superstars in the NBA: Lebron, Durant, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, arguably James Harden and possibly Westbrook. I might be missing some but it's a pretty exclusive club. I still appreciate Al however, and consider him our most important player.

I would agree with this list while leaving Harden off until he proves that he can play well in the postseason as the main guy. He looks better this year than any of the previous ones.

I get tired of the media trying to prop up guys like griffin, love, irving when they are completely one dimensional players. In both games against us, griffin was useless unless the refs were calling a foul on minimal contact. Irving and Love play zero defense and its becoming a huge problem for the Cavs.

I would say that Pau Gasol could be viewed as a superstar for this year. He has carried that Bulls team. We would be unbeatable if he chose us over Chicago. I wonder if he regrets his choice.

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[ATL Boy]

I agree that he's not on the level of superstar, but Al is spectacular nonetheless. I consider only a few players to be legit superstars in the NBA: Lebron, Durant, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, arguably James Harden and possibly Westbrook. I might be missing some but it's a pretty exclusive club. I still appreciate Al however, and consider him our most important player.

I would agree with this list while leaving Harden off until he proves that he can play well in the postseason as the main guy. He looks better this year than any of the previous ones.

I get tired of the media trying to prop up guys like griffin, love, irving when they are completely one dimensional players. In both games against us, griffin was useless unless the refs were calling a foul on minimal contact. Irving and Love play zero defense and its becoming a huge problem for the Cavs.

I would say that Pau Gasol could be viewed as a superstar for this year. He has carried that Bulls team. We would be unbeatable if he chose us over Chicago. I wonder if he regrets his choice.

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He has definitely been playing like a superstar. And if he doesn't regret it now he will eventually with how badly Thibedau manages his minutes.

[ATLHawksfan21]

I agree that he's not on the level of superstar, but Al is spectacular nonetheless. I consider only a few players to be legit superstars in the NBA: Lebron, Durant, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, arguably James Harden and possibly Westbrook. I might be missing some but it's a pretty exclusive club. I still appreciate Al however, and consider him our most important player.

I would agree with this list while leaving Harden off until he proves that he can play well in the postseason as the main guy. He looks better this year than any of the previous ones.

I get tired of the media trying to prop up guys like griffin, love, irving when they are completely one dimensional players. In both games against us, griffin was useless unless the refs were calling a foul on minimal contact. Irving and Love play zero defense and its becoming a huge problem for the Cavs.

I would say that Pau Gasol could be viewed as a superstar for this year. He has carried that Bulls team. We would be unbeatable if he chose us over Chicago. I wonder if he regrets his choice.

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He has definitely been playing like a superstar. And if he doesn't regret it now he will eventually with how badly Thibedau manages his minutes.

He would have been perfect in our offense as well. I think a trio of Millsap/Gasol/Horford fits much better than Taj/Gasol/Noah.

The combo of Gasol/Noah has struggled badly when on the court together.

[theatlfan]

IMO there are five different levels of players in the NBA

-Superstar
-Star
-Role Player
-Veteran
-Rookie

I'd put Horford at star level

When I saw this, I immediately thought:
- Superstar
- Borderline All-Star
- Solid Starter
- Short Rotation
- Deep Rotation
- End of Bench
I use terms to describe guys that I don't quite classify - like "Backup Grade" which would be kind of between Deep and Short Rotation and possibly in the middle.

I would see the terms "Rookie" (or "Prospect") and "Veteran" to describe the player's career path. A rookie or prospect is ascending the ladder; a veteran is simply trying to hold his position.

Even so, I think we agree with putting Horford a step below the superstar level even if our terminology doesn't agree...

[azuresou1]

IMO there are five different levels of players in the NBA

-Superstar
-Star
-Role Player
-Veteran
-Rookie

I'd put Horford at star level

When I saw this, I immediately thought:
- Superstar
- Borderline All-Star
- Solid Starter
- Short Rotation
- Deep Rotation
- End of Bench
I use terms to describe guys that I don't quite classify - like "Backup Grade" which would be kind of between Deep and Short Rotation and possibly in the middle.

I would see the terms "Rookie" (or "Prospect") and "Veteran" to describe the player's career path. A rookie or prospect is ascending the ladder; a veteran is simply trying to hold his position.

Even so, I think we agree with putting Horford a step below the superstar level even if our terminology doesn't agree...

I like this scale, although you can scratch the 'borderline' and just grade people in between positions.

I think our team is great because we have very few guys who are 'deep rotation' or worse. Most of our bench is short rotation, or even solid starter tier.

[theatlfan]

IMO there are five different levels of players in the NBA

-Superstar
-Star
-Role Player
-Veteran
-Rookie

I'd put Horford at star level

When I saw this, I immediately thought:
- Superstar
- Borderline All-Star
- Solid Starter
- Short Rotation
- Deep Rotation
- End of Bench
I use terms to describe guys that I don't quite classify - like "Backup Grade" which would be kind of between Deep and Short Rotation and possibly in the middle.

I would see the terms "Rookie" (or "Prospect") and "Veteran" to describe the player's career path. A rookie or prospect is ascending the ladder; a veteran is simply trying to hold his position.

Even so, I think we agree with putting Horford a step below the superstar level even if our terminology doesn't agree...

I like this scale, although you can scratch the 'borderline' and just grade people in between positions.

I think our team is great because we have very few guys who are 'deep rotation' or worse. Most of our bench is short rotation, or even solid starter tier.

Eh, I used Borderline AS because that's how it typically is worded on the T&T board. I would agree that it equates to an AS who isn't a superstar so it's just terminology.

Even so, I think our bench is more Deep Rotation guys with a handful of exceptions. Definitely Thabo, most likely Schröder, and possibly Pero could be classified as Short Rotation IMO; I also think that Demarre would be classified as Short Rotation even though he starts for us. What Coach Bud is good at - well, one of the things he's good at - is being able to find the hot hand and sticking with him. A Deep Rotation guy will play up to a Short Rotation or even like a Solid Starter for stretches and a key for a Coach is to recognize when that happens and ride him. Not only does this allow the bench to play more but it also keeps opponents guessing since Coach Bud isn't as likely to stick with any 1 lineup for any stretch of time.

[D21]

I believe that Al will be on the same level than he was before the injury, but at this moment, he had some good games, but I also see that there are games with good personal stats and bad +/-
A star is not in negative +/- in a win when the other starters and some bench guys are in positive.
I saw that in several games, and it something that didn't happen in the past. That's one thing that confirms he's not back to his level yet.