Pelicans coach Monty Williams on Al Horford: 'He is an MVP candidate in my book'
The Atlanta Hawks were rewarded for a franchise-best start by having four players selected to this weekend's All-Star Game in New York City.
Among the foursome is starting center Al Horford, who's headed to his third All-Star Game and first since 2011.
A season after being limited to 29 games as a result of a torn pectoral muscle, Horford has been a key ingredient on both ends of the floor for the unselfish Hawks, who take an Eastern Conference-best 40-10 record into Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics.
Coaches around the league are taking notice of the big man's dominance.
"He can dribble and move around," New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He can pass. He can shoot it. He steps out and shoot threes.
"He is an MVP candidate in my book. I don't know why people don't talk about him in that regard. He has been one of the best players I've seen. When you watch him on film, he is sound at the rim defensively. His ability to read screen, or not screen when he doesn't need to and slip out, he has been doing it for years. People have taken notice now because he's healthy and they are winning a lot of games."
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While Horford's numbers may sell his overall worth a little short - he's averaging 15.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in 51 games - his impact hasn't been lost on the rest of the league.
Horford's averaged at least 15 points, seven rebounds, one block and an above-average 19-plus player efficiency rating in each of the last three seasons, while shooting greater than 50 percent from the field. And his game has evolved as his shot has improved.
The eight-year veteran is shooting more jumpers from 16-plus feet out than ever before, and nailing a career-high 37.7 percent of those attempts. He's also converting on a passable 32 percent of his shots from long range - he's already taken more 3-point attempts this season than in any of his previous seven.
"There is a lot of adversity that I have gone through the past couple of years," Horford said. "It feels really good. I have great support from my family, friends and teammates. My faith always kept me focused and strong. I'm happy to be in this position again."