Al Horford Credits Thunder for Career Turnaround
Al Horford is having a great year thus far with the Boston Celtics. This comes after spending the 2020-21 season in Oklahoma City as a key veteran for the Thunder.
Horford was acquired by the Thunder in a trade on the night of the 2020 NBA Draft. A member of the Philadelphia 76ers the season prior, it wasn’t a fit for the veteran as he had one of the worst campaigns of his career.
In fact, Oklahoma City was given draft capital as sweetener to take Horford on.
After a half season with the Thunder before being shut down, Horford was excellent. Not only was he an important leader off the floor, but he also produced 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest on the court.
During the offseason, Oklahoma City was able to trade Horford to Boston, where he had three successful seasons earlier in his career.
Through 19 games with the Celtics this season, the veteran has averaged 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. It appears a season in OKC got his career back on track, as he gained confidence and rebuilt his image.
Horford recently spoke to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, talking about his situation in Philadelphia followed by the stint in Oklahoma City.
"I said 'I can either cave in, or I can make the most of it'. When I went to OKC, they put me in a place to succeed,” said Horford. “They were great to me. Being back here, that's everything. It's a chance to play at a high level again."
While it was clear Horford turned his career back around with the Thunder, it’s paying dividends now as he’s back in Boston. Not only did OKC give him a place to prove himself, but Thunder GM Sam Presti also traded him to a place Horford desired.
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