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Boston Celtics big man checks in at No. 19 center in the NBA for 2022-23 in new analysis

justin quinn
·2 min read
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Deep into the dog days of the 2022 NBA offseason, there is little in the way of current Boston Celtics news to speak of, but plenty of excitement about the 2022-23 season that is less than two months away.

And as we so often do during this part of the league calendar, we bust out a magnifying glass to take long, hard looks at players and the teams they play for. Among the best examples we have seen are being done over at our sister site HoopsHype. Its staff has been ranking players by trade value at their position.

Several Celtics have been ranked by HoopsHype analysts at the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions. None registered at power forward due to position estimates: Two Boston starters were classified at the center position. Today we will look at the lower-ranked of the two.

Al Horford - center - No. 19

The Boston big man in truth played more at the 4 last season than as a center depending on how you define the position, but we will not quibble as long as Horford gets the respect he deserves.

“Horford had a renaissance last season reminding fans why teams continue to rely on him in high leverage situations,” writes HoopsHype. “If he were to become available, there should be plenty of teams interested in the 36-year-old big man.”

And for good reason, given the impact his play had on the Celtics’ finals run last season and the fact that while his age may not be young and his contract substantial, so is his impact on the court and the deal is also expiring.

Listed just ahead of the Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac and just below Christian Wood of the Dallas Mavericks, we’d probably have Horford at least one slot higher, if not two or even three.

That notwithstanding, the one-time Florida standout is getting the recognition he deserves — and not just because of his age.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire