NBA: 5 Free Agents That Will Have The Biggest Impact Of Their New Teams

Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Al Horford being embraced by the Boston fans — Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Al Horford being embraced by the Boston fans — Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Al Horford, Boston Celtics

The Celtics are in one of the most interesting situations imaginable. A fantastic young coach, a strong collection of perimeter defenders, an undersized leader aptly named “Mighty Mouse”, and practically every first-round pick in the next three years. But with the addition of Al Horford, they’ve upgraded from a team waiting on there rebuild to a team vying for contention, sort of. The operative phrase being “sort of”.

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Let’s be real, no team in the Eastern Conference is beating Cleveland. But, competing for that second seed in the East is a big step towards true title contention. Horford can lead Boston to just that.

Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder are improving at an alarming rate, and while I don’t expect a margin of improvement as large as this past season’s, I do believe they’re only going to get better. Meanwhile, it seems Terry Rozier has made huge strides this offseason, poised to overtake Marcus Smart as the backup point guard. Then, there’s the addition of Jaylen Brown, who seems capable of replacing Evan Turner’s role under Brad Stevens tutelage.

Boston’s biggest weakness last season was the lack of a real frontcourt, and another scoring threat like Isaiah Thomas. Horford may not exactly be the scorer the team needs, but he is a legitimate threat in the frontcourt who can certainly fill in the hole left by Sullinger.

Not to mention he’s a much better defender than Sullinger was, or any of the other big man on the Celtics for that matter.

Needless to say, I expect great things from the Celtics this year. And, next year. And, the year after that, and the year after that…

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