Is Al Horford a Unicorn?
Is Al Horford a Unicorn?
Written by Jeremy Stevens (@Taco_Haus) on 21 December 2017
Written by Jeremy Stevens
(@Taco_Haus) on 21 December 2017
The unicorn movement is made up of young, versatile bigs who can play the role of a guard. Where does Al Horford fit into that conversation?
The unicorn movement is made up of young, versatile bigs who can play the role of a guard. Where does Al Horford fit into that conversation?
How will basketball fans remember the 2010’s era of NBA basketball? Will it be marked by LeBron’s streak of going to seven straight finals (or more)? Or will we point to the 73 win Warriors as the absolute pinnacle of modern hoops, and as a symbol of the scoring point guard revolution? It could be those things. It could also be the start of the unicorn era, defined by youthful spaghetti-armed freaks who become de-facto point guards, sometimes for no other reason than a team deciding to run their offense through their best player while at a loss for other options (see: Bucks, Milwaukee). Al Horford is in his 30s. Can he be a unicorn too?
The first question to find an answer is the most obvious. What in the world is a unicorn? Ryan Jarvis at Medium described them as follows:
"A unicorn is a player that has the athletic shape to play power forward or center, but also has the technical skills resembling guard play. Three-point shooting. Lateral agility. Ball handling. Passing. While Ibaka was considered the first unicorn, it was because he could rim protect and play defense like a big man, but could spot up on the wing or rotate defensively on the perimeter like a guard."
In truth, it’s not a new concept. It’s a fun word, though, to commemorate the influx of such players. While I like that quote as a starting point, I think the unicorn phenomenon targets a much more specific group of players. The ones who stand out from the crowd not just by their abilities, but by their cartoonish physical quirks.
Have you seen Kristaps Porzingis? It’s like when you take a bite from a slice of pizza and the cheese just never ends. That’s what his torso looks like. He’s an elite player in almost all aspects of offense and is shockingly adept at blocking shot being as young as he is. His length and versatility are perfect for the modern NBA, as you can put him in any lineup you want without sacrificing flexibility.
A lot of the same can be said for the other two most prominent unicorns, Giannis and Joel Embiid. Embiid lacks the quickness of some and Giannis has yet to develop the range, but they’re firmly placed into the unicorn category - Embiid because of his immense size, and Giannis for his giant hands and spaghetti arms. It isn’t stated enough how insane it is that people of that size can not only keep up with today’s pace, but they can also fit into any lineup. That was almost unheard of as recently as five years ago.
Except, that's just the thing. There have always been unicorns, right? As said by Bill Simmons at the Ringer:
“To be fair, the league has been churning out unicorns since Russell and Wilt.”
Bill’s unicorn definition was a little different, though, in the requirement was to be something the league has never seen before. At any rate, Russell was never called a unicorn back then and evidently hasn’t been grandfathered in now. Hence, age becomes a qualifying factor in joining the club. Porzingis is 22, while Embiid and Giannis are 23 apiece. Karl Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic are 22 as well.
Is Al Horford a unicorn? If we’re judging him by the youth movement, he might be late to the party. If we’re using Bill Simmons’ “never been seen before” criteria, then he was likely never invited. He’s got everything else going for him, though. Horford has essentially become Boston’s new point guard after the roster shakeup, as his 167 assists in 34 games lead the team. He’s got the tools to fit into any type of lineup, making him the perfect piece in Brad Stevens’ mix-and-match system and allows Irving to do what he does best - getting buckets. Irving leads the Celtics in scoring, and is a favorite to score the most points against the Wizards according to the NBA odds for Christmas Day.
Horford will likely never share the same spotlight as generational talents like Embiid and Porzingis, but he is still getting his due credit as the nucleus of a team that has championship aspirations.
I propose that Al Horford is referred to as the league’s elder unicorn. The one that came before his time, and maybe the first to reach the finals. Maybe.
How will basketball fans remember the 2010’s era of NBA basketball? Will it be marked by LeBron’s streak of going to seven straight finals (or more)? Or will we point to the 73 win Warriors as the absolute pinnacle of modern hoops, and as a symbol of the scoring point guard revolution? It could be those things. It could also be the start of the unicorn era, defined by youthful spaghetti-armed freaks who become de-facto point guards, sometimes for no other reason than a team deciding to run their offense through their best player while at a loss for other options (see: Bucks, Milwaukee). Al Horford is in his 30s. Can he be a unicorn too?
The first question to find an answer is the most obvious. What in the world is a unicorn? Ryan Jarvis at Medium described them as follows:
"A unicorn is a player that has the athletic shape to play power forward or center, but also has the technical skills resembling guard play. Three-point shooting. Lateral agility. Ball handling. Passing. While Ibaka was considered the first unicorn, it was because he could rim protect and play defense like a big man, but could spot up on the wing or rotate defensively on the perimeter like a guard."
In truth, it’s not a new concept. It’s a fun word, though, to commemorate the influx of such players. While I like that quote as a starting point, I think the unicorn phenomenon targets a much more specific group of players. The ones who stand out from the crowd not just by their abilities, but by their cartoonish physical quirks.
Have you seen Kristaps Porzingis? It’s like when you take a bite from a slice of pizza and the cheese just never ends. That’s what his torso looks like. He’s an elite player in almost all aspects of offense and is shockingly adept at blocking shot being as young as he is. His length and versatility are perfect for the modern NBA, as you can put him in any lineup you want without sacrificing flexibility.
A lot of the same can be said for the other two most prominent unicorns, Giannis and Joel Embiid. Embiid lacks the quickness of some and Giannis has yet to develop the range, but they’re firmly placed into the unicorn category - Embiid because of his immense size, and Giannis for his giant hands and spaghetti arms. It isn’t stated enough how insane it is that people of that size can not only keep up with today’s pace, but they can also fit into any lineup. That was almost unheard of as recently as five years ago.
Except, that's just the thing. There have always been unicorns, right? As said by Bill Simmons at the Ringer:
“To be fair, the league has been churning out unicorns since Russell and Wilt.”
Bill’s unicorn definition was a little different, though, in the requirement was to be something the league has never seen before. At any rate, Russell was never called a unicorn back then and evidently hasn’t been grandfathered in now. Hence, age becomes a qualifying factor in joining the club. Porzingis is 22, while Embiid and Giannis are 23 apiece. Karl Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic are 22 as well.
Is Al Horford a unicorn? If we’re judging him by the youth movement, he might be late to the party. If we’re using Bill Simmons’ “never been seen before” criteria, then he was likely never invited. He’s got everything else going for him, though. Horford has essentially become Boston’s new point guard after the roster shakeup, as his 167 assists in 34 games lead the team. He’s got the tools to fit into any type of lineup, making him the perfect piece in Brad Stevens’ mix-and-match system and allows Irving to do what he does best - getting buckets. Irving leads the Celtics in scoring, and is a favorite to score the most points against the Wizards according to the NBA odds for Christmas Day.
Horford will likely never share the same spotlight as generational talents like Embiid and Porzingis, but he is still getting his due credit as the nucleus of a team that has championship aspirations.
I propose that Al Horford is referred to as the league’s elder unicorn. The one that came before his time, and maybe the first to reach the finals. Maybe.