Philadelphia 76ers has designed a team with the intention of gaining greater depth, a quality necessary to keep consistency in the results, so that the ability of its players could result in victories for winning a ring.
Signing 33-year-old Dominican Al Horford, an All Star with impressive numbers that will help the Philadelphia team achieve their goals, is the first step in this direction.
Signing Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto, added to James Ennis, Mike Scott and Tobias Harris new deal, are trying to get some changes in the team, while maintaining the same structure around Harris, Simmons and Embiid.
According to ESPN journalist, Adrian Wojnarowski, Al Horford, reached an agreement for 4 years and $109 million.
But beyond the transactions, numbers and statistics guided manager Elton Brand in his decision to opt for the new talents.
Al Horford is a veteran with a future ahead. He reaches his third team after passing through Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics with a four season contract and $97 million guaranteed.
Horford became the sixth Dominican player to play in the NBA and the first Dominican to participate in an NBA All-Star Game and be voted in an NBA Best Team.
Horford appeared in 68 games for Boston Celtics last season and posted 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game, joining NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only two league players to hold those averages. The five-time All-Star also shot .535 from the field, .360 from three-point range and a career high .821 from the free-throw line. Horford’s seven seasons, with a field-goal percentage of .500 or more, are the fourth most active among NBA players, just behind Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and LeBron James. Among other distinctions, Horford was selected to the 2017-18 All-Defensive Second Team and the 2010-11 All-NBA Third Team.
For his career, Horford has played 786 games with Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks and holds averages 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game. In addition, a veteran of 120 career postseason games, Horford’s teams, have qualified for the playoffs in each of his 12 NBA seasons, dating back to 2007-08. The 12-year pro was originally selected by Atlanta as No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
The Dominican had been the terror of the Sixers star, Joel Embiid, on each occasion they met. Now the context has changed and he will team up with the Cameroonian. “When he approached me, it felt right. That’s why I’m excited to be here because I know he wants what’s best for this city, and what we’re trying to do,” he said in an interview.
Translated by: José Espinoza
Noticias Newswire
