OKC Thunder: 3 ways Al Horford will have immediate impact

No. 3: Veteran leadership to OKC Thunder young core

The leadership this journeyman brings is invaluable. He has been able to play with many players from Ben Simmons to Jayson Tatum; Horford has teamed up with all types of NBA all-stars.

Although it would have been fun to see CP3 and Al on the same team, the fact that SGA will have another veteran leader behind him for another season could prove to be huge for not only Shai but the development of the rest of our Thunder roster.

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Horford is 34 years old, which leaves a decade between the former all-star and young Thunder nucleus. Shai-22 years old, Dort-21, and Bazely-20. All three of these players should be able to make tremendous developmental leaps with Horford as their mentor.

It is no surprise that our new Head Coach is “wet behind the ears” when it comes to coaching in the NBA. Even though he spent time in the G League, I expect a learning curve for the first year Head Coach.

Horford would be able to add some insight into situations that Daigneault hasn’t seen due to inexperience. It could be something as simple as Horford knowing what tendencies other teams like to use; for example, how a team sets up defensively. Or like Paul functioned with Donovan last season, simply as a  sounding board for the new OKC Thunder coach.

His experience will help situations that we won’t hear about until after the game, in the locker room, or during an interview because these subtleties rarely show up in the stat sheet.

Horford’s presence will also hold much weight in the OKC community. I won’t be surprised if we see a good number of Horford interviews this year. His professionalism seems unreal. The way he humbly handles criticism is an excellent way to judge the character of an individual. He is the epitome of a “Presti Player” and should be able to help this team immensely, on and off the basketball court.