The Celtics lost Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, and Al Horford this offseason and are significantly better than they were a year ago. Kyrie Irving has been the main scapegoat. Terry Rozier has been more of an under the radar scapegoat. Meanwhile, Al Horford continues to get off like a guy that robbed a bank and got away with it. As the 2019-2020 season continues to play out, we’re seeing the truth. Enes Kanter is better than Al Horford. Getting rid of Horford has helped Boston and it needs to be said more.
Both Enes Kanter and Al Horford were free agents this summer. One guy signed for $109 million. The other guy signed for $9.7 million. The funny part is the guy who signed for almost $100 million less is the better player. Horford is complaining about his role in Philadelphia despite the fact that he actually averaged fewer shots per game during his last two years in Boston. The difference is Brad Stevens isn’t his coach anymore. Kanter is 1000% the better player.
Al Horford: 30.5 minutes per game, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 45%, 51. Effective FG %, 1 block, 1 steal, 16.1 PER, +4.3 per 100 possessions.
Enes Kanter: 17.7 minutes per game, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 58.4%, 58.7 effective FG %, .8 blocks, .6 steals, 25.1 PER, +15.2 per 100 possessions.
Kanter is the better player and is averaging significantly fewer minutes per game. Kanter is outrebounding Horford and getting slightly more than half the number of minutes. Kanter is scoring at a better rate and the Celtics are essentially blowing teams out when he’s on the floor. Horford is just there and not scoring super efficiently for a big.
Kanter has fixed the biggest issue the Celtics had last year. They couldn’t rebound to save their life. Horford was the primary center for Boston and couldn’t rebound a lick. Part is the reason is because he’s a giant pussy and the other reason is his he can’t jump. Horford is a player that can be bullied.
Kanter has become the Celtics stop sign. Kanter’s defense has been a major story in Boston. From can’t play Kanter to Stop sign. It’s been an incredible turn around. Kanter is now a positive on the defensive end. All hail, Brad Stevens. It’s a big reason why Kanter’s +/- is so off the charts. Boston posts a defensive rating of 98.7 during Kanter’s 424 minutes of floor time.
Kanter is such a valuable asset for Boston. He’s a guy that can throw the ball to in the post. He’s one of the few bigs that can get buckets on his own with creative posts moves. If he misses the shot inside, he usually cleans it up with an offensive rebound. Imagine Horford doing that. Funny joke. Horford has become a long big that hangs out at the 3-point line that can’t run or jump. Horford has fewer than 10 points in 5 of his last 7 games.
Enes Kanter has always been a good scorer and rebounder. Now he’s making a positive impact on the defensive end too. His +/- is off the charts and is an indispensable piece to Boston. Al Horford? The Celtics are better without him, is totally lost in Philly, and barely producing. It’s time to just acknowledge what most people would think sounds so crazy. Enes Kanter is better than Al Horford and there’s no way to say otherwise.
