Ime Udoka, Al Horford talk about Horford’s high-level play heading into Nets-Celtics series

The Celtics veteran credits the team’s medical staff in particular,

While fans of the Boston Celtics finally seem to be catching up to what veteran big man Al Horford brings to the table that does not show up in a box score this season, the University of Florida product has been filling up the box score as well over the Celtics’ 2021-22 campaign with a renewed vitality about him.

Some of that has been attributed to the time he took off while with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season at the end of the season, but it has been sustained for the duration of this season as well. The issue of Horford’s late-career renaissance has been a topic of growing interest as a result, and Boston head coach Ime Udoka opened up about it after practice on Saturday.

Asked specifically when he realized the veteran big man was going to play like the player he’d been in his previous stint with the team, Udoka replied “as soon as he was in the gym for open gym.”