Philadelphia 76ers: Al Horford turning up the volume in Orlando

The Philadelphia 76ers’ veteran has been a more vocal leader since the team arrived in Orlando.

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially indoctrinated Shake Milton as the starting point guard in practice, which all but certifies Al Horford‘s status as the most overqualified backup center in basketball. While this is an unfortunately dark turn for Horford’s career, it hasn’t stunted the 34-year-old’s competitive spirit in Orlando.

Horford is still the “new guy” — a fresh face who hasn’t performed up to expectations in his debut season. But he’s also a five-time All-Star, one of the league’s most accomplished big men, and a man of sterling repute.  If he talks, people will listen. And it sounds like he’s finally talking.

In the words of Brett Brown:

Even as Horford straddles the line between overqualified and inconsequential, he appears to be leaning into his role as a veteran — someone younger players will react to and emulate. Horford obviously has a chip on his shoulder, and he will need to prove his worth in Orlando. It seems he’s off to a good start.

Bleacher Report recently ranked Horford as the 81st best player in basketball. Not anywhere close to where he was last season, but at the same time, still the mark of someone who is productive and useful.  If you buy Horford’s spot on that list — which in a vacuum, I certainly do — he can still bring a lot to the Sixers’ title pursuit.

At his best, Horford is too good not to contribute in some way. Too smart and too versatile. This season has not been Horford at his best, and the Sixers’ wonky roster construction is largely to blame. But even if his minutes are limited, Horford has a chance to change a lot of fans’ tune.

He called it a new season. It’s clear four months to reset and recharge has him feeling better. He has the tools to drastically improve the Sixers. It’s difficult to imagine a role in which he can maximize his skill set — the Sixers are truly a worst-case scenario for him — but from a talent perspective alone, he’s still Al Horford. His pedigree means something.

At risk of sounding cliche, it sounds like Horford is here to disprove his doubters. To try and convince Brown of his abilities — to convince Brown’s he’s still valuable — after a season of underperformance. We will see how he looks come August 1.