Al Horford joins the Oklahoma City Thunder from a very different situation.
In Philadelphia, the 76ers were expected to be a contender. When he signed with them last offseason, he was thought to be a player who could help push them over the edge. He was not, and the Sixers traded him to the Thunder this offseason.
There was initial surprise to being sent to OKC on his end.
“That was something unexpected … but I’ve known the type of organization that the Oklahoma City Thunder is, and that was the one thing that was positive for me,” Horford said.
“Now that I’m here, I’m actually really excited and looking forward to getting the regular season started.”
After playing with high expectations on Philly that come with a $100 million contract, Horford enters Oklahoma City with low national expectations both on the individual level and as a team. The Thunder are looked at as a rebuilding group, and Horford isn’t expected to come in and make them winners.
He’s expected to be a good player and role model for the younger guys.
Horford can do that by showing a dedicated work ethic as a 13-year veteran.
“My whole focus, and our team’s focus, is on coming into work everyday and having a good attitude,” he said. “The future is going to be very bright and we’re going to continue to work day to day and get better. The one thing that encourages me the most is just the competitiveness that I’ve seen in all the practices.”
Head coach Mark Daigneault said leadership can’t be thrust upon a veteran. The player has to ask for it and be willing to step into that role.
“It remains to be seen how that’s going to flower … It’s important for guys like Al to find that on their own and for our coaching staff to give him space to do that,” Daigneault said.
It may be coming on quickly, though.
When Horford was asked about how entering a rebuilding situation may change his role, he deflected the negative connotation that comes with that description.
“People are going to call it what they want, but for our group, we’re going to focus in on the work every day,” he said.
“I’m really committed to help our group and try to get better each day. Going out there and competing, and we’ll let the results speak for themselves.”
Horford expressed his desire to be a leader, and Daigneault said his presence could already be felt on the floor after just one day of training camp.
“(He’s) such a good teammate, such an easy guy to play with, you definitely felt him in the gym today,” Daigneault said on Monday, Horford’s first day of full participation in five-on-five practice.
Horford, with the shock of the trade to OKC having worn off, is excited to get going.
He will make his Thunder debut Wednesday night in the preseason game against the Chicago Bulls.
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