source: https://heavy.com/sports/2019/06/lakers-al-horford-free-agency-anthony-davis/

Al Horford has arguably been one of the most underrated NBA stars of the 2010s. While he was never in the conversation alongside Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, or other superstars of the decade, Horford was a consistent all-star and led the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics to multiple playoff appearances, most notably the 60-win Atlanta Hawks in 2014-2015 and the 2017-2018 Boston Celtics who reached the Eastern Conference Finals and took the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games. More important than his leadership style and consistent play, Al Horford drastically transitioned from a traditional center with an efficient mid-range shot, spending most of his time in the paint rebounding and scoring, to a stretch five with an efficient three-point shoot.

Al Horford’s stint in Atlanta allowed him to grow into a team leader through the Hawk’s offensive system that utilized Horford’s unselfish playstyle. In 2013, Mike Budenholzer became the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Coming from serving as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for the San Antonio Spurs, Budenholzer instilled a pass-first offense with the Atlanta Hawks. With the departure of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, two ball-dominant players, it was easier for the players to buy into Budenholzer’s new approach. Horford was perfect for this new system because of his unselfish playstyle and exceptional passing ability. Horford’s offensive and defensive skills were essential to the success of the Atlanta Hawks teams, having an efficient mid-range shot and being able to defend the best NBA big men.

After the 2014-2015 season, Horford added three pointers to his game while retaining efficiency in rebounding and field goals in the paint. Through his first eight seasons, Horford attempted 65 total three pointers. Horford’s transition into a three-point shooter was most evident in the 2015-2016 season when Horford attempted 256 three pointers, over three times more three pointers than he had attempted in his career, on 34% efficiency (Basketball Reference). Out of his total field goals, Horford’s three-point attempt rate increased from .037 in the 2014-2015 season to .244 in the 2015-2016 season. In that same season, while his two pointers attempted decreased, his efficiency increased going from around 55% to 56% in 2015-2016.

Even though the trend of consistent two point production with increasing three point shots did not continue throughout the rest of Horford’s career, seeing a major decrease in two-point efficiency starting in the 2016-2017 season, the numbers from the 2015-2016 season show that giving up the amount of two pointers taken for three pointers does not mean that a player will be less efficient. Horford saw a minor increase in his rebound averages between 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 going from averaging 7.2 rebounds to 7.3 rebounds per game. Even though Horford’s rebounding numbers was similar to his decrease in two-point percentage where Horford’s rebounding numbers decreased following the 2015-2016 season averaging around six rebounds per game over the next four seasons, the immediate transition to outside shooting did not affect Horford’s scoring efficiency from two point range as well as his ability to rebound the ball in the paint.

As Horford transitioned from the Atlanta Hawks to the Boston Celtics, so did his three-point game finally take shape. In his three-year stint with the Celtics, Horford increased his three-point percentage to around 42.9% in 2017-2018, the highest percentage in his career, along with attempting three three pointers per game (Basketball Reference). Horford’s three-point efficiency was very impactful to the Celtics’ scoring as Horford was the second highest percentage on the team, only behind rookie Jayson Tatum’s 43.4% from three (Basketball Reference). Besides his three-point shooting increasing, Horford also saw a jump in his assists, averaging a career high in assists in the 2016-2017 season with five assists per game (Basketball Reference).

Al Horford’s efficiency and leadership ability proves that he is one of the most underrated players in the modern NBA. Even though his current stint with the 76ers has not been as successful as some might have hoped, his whole career proves that Horford is a reliable big man who can lead a team deep into the playoffs. Like many other NBA centers, Horford has successfully transitioned his game to include a consistent three-point shot. Even though Horford experienced decreases in his two-point attempts and efficiency, the NBA game has evolved to where mid-range shots have become obsolete and in order for teams to succeed in the modern NBA, they must be able to shoot the three ball.