OKC Thunder: 3 players we hope get big minutes in 2020-21
By Mark Nilon
OKC Thunder player we hope gets big minutes No. 2) Al Horford
Seeing the likes of Al Horford on this list may come as a bit of a shock to some.
However, in actuality, the 34-year-old having a good start to the season could actually wind up boding well for the OKC Thunder in 2020-21, especially at the trade deadline or during the next offseason.
Since being acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers via trade this offseason, the idea has seemingly always been to flip Horford at some point down the road in exchange for more valuable assets. The only problem is, his value is SO low thanks in large to his unbelievably underwhelming 2019-20 season and his egregious $109 million contract, thus making any potential return package really uninteresting.
Because of this, the idea of giving Horford ample playing time on the court could benefit the Thunder in the long run, as it would likely inflate his individual statistics, show the impact that he can still bring to the table, and make him more appealing of an asset for a win-now team with weaknesses in the frontcourt to pursue.
It may be hard to remember now, but just three years ago we saw the big man playing in his fifth All-Star game while also serving in the starting lineup on the Conference Finals bound Boston Celtics.
Increasing Al Horford’s value as the season moves on should be high up on OKC’s to-do list. A way the franchise could go about getting this done would be to play the man often.