Following their blockbuster trades for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the 2023-24 Celtics entered the season with more starting-caliber players (six) than spots in the lineup (five).
The odd man out: Al Horford, who was bumped to the bench for the first time in his 17-year NBA career. The veteran center accepted his demotion, and teammates spent the next six months raving about his unselfishness and professionalism.
Having a player with Horford’s pedigree in a reserve role was a luxury for Boston, which was able to manage Porzingis’ workload as it raced to an NBA-best 68-14 record.
But with Porzingis, who suffered a soleus strain in his right calf during the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against Miami, now expected to miss all of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Horford is back in the spotlight in Boston’s frontcourt.
The 37-year-old slotted into the starting lineup for Game 5 against the Heat — a series-clinching 118-84 win Wednesday night at TD Garden — and, barring a drastic change in strategy by head coach Joe Mazzulla, should remain there until Porzingis is healthy enough to return.
“My approach kind of remains the same,” Horford said after Friday’s practice at the Auerbach Center. “I want to make sure that defensively, I’m solid, I’m giving support to the group, I’m doing the things that I need to do on that end. My job doesn’t change. And then on offense, continuing to stay ready and whatever I need to do.”
Horford was a part-time starter for Boston during the regular season (65 games, 33 starts) but came off the bench more times than he had in his first 16 pro seasons combined.
Entering this season, the 2007 third overall pick had appeared in 1,180 NBA games, including playoffs, and started 1,168 of them.
Horford also set career lows this season in shots (6.4), points (8.6) and minutes per game (26.8), taking a backseat to the uniquely talented Porzingis on arguably the most talented roster in basketball.
What changes with Porzingis in and Horford out? From a game plan perspective, not much, according to Horford.
“The things that we do (as a team) essentially are kind of the same, I would say,” he said. “Our offense, the things that we’re running, the things that we’re doing.”
Porzingis’ temporary absence — the Celtics reportedly hope he can return for the East finals if they advance — will force Boston to dig deeper into its bench, however. Expect substantial minutes for backup big Luke Kornet and possible roles for Xavier Tillman and Neemis Queta in Round 2.
Kornet played 18 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds in Wednesday’s first-round clincher. Tillman, who was part of Boston’s regular-season rotation after arriving in a February trade from Memphis, only saw the floor in garbage time in Game 5. Queta was a DNP.
“For me, it’s just all about continuing to impact winning,” Horford said. “So, it doesn’t change. It’s just now that I’ll be starting, now I’ll be expecting some of our guys — whether it’s Luke, whether it’s Neemy, whether it’s Xavier — to step up and be able to play minutes for us when our number’s called. That’s something that I’m excited for those guys and for that opportunity.”
Celtics players have full confidence in Horford. Starting guard Derrick White called him “the ultimate professional” earlier this week. Payton Pritchard said Horford is “our OG.”
“The truest pro,” Pritchard said Friday. “How he handles himself is unbelievable. I watch him on the daily and how he goes about his work and his mentality. He’s a big part of this.”
The Celtics practiced Friday without knowing which second-round opponent they should prepare for. They’ll face the winner of Cleveland-Orlando, whose opening-round series had yet to be decided.
The Cavaliers held a 3-2 series, with Game 6 set for Friday night on the Magic’s home floor. A possible Game 7 would be Sunday.
“I’ll wait until we know who we’re facing (to finalize the game plan), but I think our year has been built on being open-minded and being ready to be flexible,” Mazzulla said. “… We may have to play a completely different way to win the next (series), so we’ve got to be ready to do that. We’ve got to keep an open mind and understand the details and the physicality, regardless of who we’re playing.”
Asked whether he’s noticed a difference in how teams are guarding him in these playoffs compared to last year’s, Pritchard bluntly replied, “I didn’t really play last year, so that’s probably the difference. I was watching rather than out here playing.”
The 26-year-old backup point guard played in just half of Boston’s games during the 2023 postseason and averaged a measly 5.7 minutes per appearance. Now? Different story.
Having established himself as a core rotation player in his fourth pro season, Pritchard played 23.0 minutes per game in the Miami series. He, Sam Hauser and Horford were the only reserves to see action in all five first-round games, and though Pritchard’s shooting was spotty (22 points in the series), Boston scored more points than it allowed with him on the floor in each of its four victories.
“Every dude in the NBA was the best dude on their college team, definitely the best dude on their high school team,” said Pritchard, reflecting on the long road he took to his current role. “They’re taking 20 shots a game their whole life, so when you get to the league, it’s almost like a shock. You’ve got to figure out how to impact (the game) differently.
“I think it’s an adjustment. A lot of young dudes don’t adjust to it, and that’s why they don’t make it in the league. But the ones they do, they become successful.”