“Al Horford is the best teammate ever, the ultimate professional… he just wants to win”: Jayson Tatum has nothing for the Celtics Big but compliments and respect like everyone in Boston

The Celtics have a 1-0 in the Finals thanks to the game of his life by Al Horford, whose teammates cannot feel luckier to have the Dominican Big Man.

Al Horford is just incredible. A 5x All-Star once, he had some trouble finding a home for himself for the last couple of years before joining back the Boston Celtics once again.

The man who was shown the bench in Oklahoma City Thunder for more than half of last season for player development played a historic game that would always remain in Bostonians’ minds forever.

Also read: “Brooklyn with Durant, Bucks with Antetokounmpo, Miami with Butler”: Ime Udoka takes pride in Celtics playing as a unit

The 36-year-old was already having the best playoffs run as the most impactful Celtics player in the squad in the 2022 playoffs even after finishing the regular season very close to his career-low numbers.

And then after reaching where he had never reached before, an NBA Finals, Al had the game of his life. In Game 1, against the Warriors on the road, Horford scored a team-high 26 points, including 11 in a thrilling fourth quarter. And his teammates just cannot stop praising him.

Jayson Tatum feels Al Horford is the best teammate while Smart and Brown praise his leadership

The team’s point guard and DPOY Marcus Smart was all praises for the Dominican big after Game 1 and praised him for showing up multiple times for the team in these playoffs.

“No one deserves more than him to be here, for how he takes care of himself, for his professionalism,” said Smart. “He keeps stringing together great games, that’s what he does for us.”

Jaylen Brown had also given his two cents on him recently after the Celtics defeated Miami in Game 7 of the East finals.

“Nobody deserves it more than this guy on my right here, man,” Jaylen Brown said. “His energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader, I’m proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford, man. He’s been great all season, really my whole career. I’m happy to be able to share this moment with somebody like him.”

And now Celtics MVP, Jayson Tatum, talked about their most impactful player before Game 2 calling him the best teammate.

“Al is like the best teammate ever. The ultimate professional… Al just wants to win.”@jaytatum0 on Al Horford. pic.twitter.com/MsJCcfF3b8

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2022

Also read: ‘Jaylen Brown is really selling his NBA Finals tickets for $1000’: Celtics star hilariously offers his Warriors vs Boston tickets at a steep price

The Celtics will surely need another solid performance from Horford, as Robert Williams III is again on the probable list of players for the second game on the road.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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