Mazzulla thinks that being seen as a steady performer in all areas of the game is the highest praise an NBA player can get. Someone who always does their work, plays the same way on the game no matter what part they play and sets a good example every day.

A person like Al Horford.

“He’s that guy,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 125–117 at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Horford’s impressive performance against his old team, in which he scored 14 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, handed out 8 assists, blocked 4 shots, and stole 2 balls, made the news. He is the oldest player in NBA history to have such a record line.

On this night, the C’s didn’t have Jrue Holiday, who is one of their best passers and defenders. So Horford stepped up in both areas. He tied his season high for assists and had six stocks (steals and blocks) on the other end.

Jayson Tatum said, “I think at this point in his career, he’s just open to whatever the team needs on any given night.” “He changes the game all the time.” As you might expect, he can block shots from outside, attack the gap if there is one, and switch on defenders. Al does everything. He’s what keeps us all together. Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

Horford found a way for Atlanta to stop double-teaming Tatum, which helped them figure out their defense. As he loves to do, he always went the extra mile to find open shooters, which is why he set up so many goals.

Horford said, “I’m happier when I can find someone and have them either finish at the rim or hit a three.” “That’s fun. I like to play that kind of basketball. During this game, they doubled Jayson a lot, which is why I got a lot of assists from him. I was just trying to make a play after that. I think that when we play and move the ball like that, it changes how we attack. It’s hard to protect ourselves when there are so many guns around.

It’s very helpful to have an experienced sixth man with that kind of attitude, especially since Horford has been productive on the court whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.

Horford has only started 42 of his games, but in those games, he has averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks per 100 plays while hitting 47% from the field and 40% from three-point range. He has played in 21 games off the bench and has averaged 14.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 blocks per 100 plays. He has also made 48.6 percent of his shots from the field and 41.4 percent of his three-point shots.

This amazing stability brings us back to Mazzulla’s highest praise.

“You know what you’re getting every day in practice, in the locker room, and on the court,” the coach told his oldest player. “And I thought his play tonight made us think.”

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