Another year? What is Horford, who is about to be 39 years old?

Everyone knows that the Celtics season is over.

After the Celtics were eliminated, Horford's future has caused some discussion. The 39-year-old veteran has just finished his 18th season and this year is another contract year, so many fans believe that Horford may choose to retire this summer.

Objectively speaking, it is not surprising that even Horford really retires. After all, he has a champion, a lot of salary in his career, and he has a beautiful wife at home. Fortunately, the veteran's fighting spirit has not yet been extinguished. For the latest news, Horford plans to come for another year.

According to Clutch Points reporter Brett Siegel, veteran Al Horford is eager to continue to return to the arena and plans to continue to play in the Celtics next season.

In addition, ESPN famous reporter Brian Windhorst also said that Horford does not intend to retire, and it is already a certain fact that he continues to stay with the Celtics.

It is undoubtedly a good thing to see familiar veterans continue to gallop on the stadium, but objectively speaking, Horford has indeed declined a lot this year.

In the regular season this season, Horford played a total of 60 games, including 42 starts, averaging 27.6 minutes per game, scoring 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

As a comparison, Horford last season: played 65 games, started 33 games, averaged 26.8 minutes per game, scoring 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Only look at the basic data, the scores have improved, but in fact, Horford's efficiency has declined very significantly this year:

—Last season: shooting percentage is 51.1%, three-point shooting percentage is 41.9%, real shooting percentage is 65.0%, real shooting percentage is 65.0%, this season: shooting percentage is 42.3%, three-point shooting percentage is 35.3%, real shooting percentage is 56.3%

In the playoffs, Horford averages 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, shooting percentage is 47.2%, and three-point shooting percentage is 40.0%, and his feel is refreshed compared to the regular season.

But in the two more critical games, Horford was abnormal:

—With the Knicks G1, 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 5 three-pointers, and only 7 points

—With the Knicks G2, 2 of 11 shots, 0 of 5 three-pointers, and only 4 points

—With the Knicks G2, 2 of 11 shots, 0 of 5 three-pointers, and only 4 points were scored in these two games, the Celtics were both 20 points ahead and were reversed, and they only lost 4 points in total. If Horford could make another three-pointer, the result might be different.

We have said before that the Celtics are a team that makes three-pointers and loses three-pointers. The same is true for Horford now. 76% of his shots in the regular season come from outside the three-point line, and players with more shooting, such as Curry, have instability, so their state fluctuations are very large.

However, even if he is about to be 39 years old, Horford's role in the defensive end is still good, at least from the data: this year's playoffs, Horford averaged 16 shots per game, and his opponent's shooting percentage dropped by 10.8%, of which the three-point shooting percentage dropped by 3.7%, and the inside 10 feet down by 16.6%.

Specifically for the matchup, Horford had the most matchups in the playoffs:

- Hart, 7 of 14 shots, scored 18 points, 91 rounds, 12 of 28 shots, scored 28 points, Wagner, 84 rounds, 4 of 22 shots, scored 10 points, 11 of 25 shots, scored 28 points, and viewed in impression, Brunson pointed Horford many rounds in the second round, but from the data, it was not said that the defense was very poor. There were 33 rounds in total, and Brunson made 12 of 27 shots, scoring 31 points.

Defense on the inside, Horford is still experienced now, but it is somewhat difficult to defend the outside, and it is easy to become the target of being named. Moreover, as he grows older, his defense will only go down. You cannot expect him to become better or take on more important responsibilities.

This is also the problem that the Celtics will face in the offseason. It is naturally a good thing if Horford is willing to stay and play for another year. It would be even better if he could renew his contract with a minimum salary. However, you can't expect Horford, who is close to 40, to continue to play 32 minutes per game in the playoffs next year, right?

Or we can say that leaving Horford is a small matter in the offseason for the Celtics. How to deal with Porzingis' contract? Do you want to trade Brown and Holiday? What kind of players can be exchanged for? This is the key to determining whether the Celtics without Tatum can enter the playoffs next year and how far they can go in the playoffs.

Back to Horford, from the 2007 Tanhua Show, to the core of the Hawks, to the Celtics' championship puzzle, the old kids have accompanied many people's time watching the game for so many years. Next season, I hope to see Horford's legend continue. He is really a rare and good player.