It is hard to shake the feeling of …

It is hard to shake the feeling of dread watching Al Horford play basketball for the Sixers right now. Even if you were optimistic about his ability to fit alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in an oversized starting lineup, you have to wonder if Horford is in the process of joining a storied history of free-agent failures in Philadelphia sports. When the fully healthy Sixers have been on the floor together, rare as the occasion has been, there was cover for Horford not looking like himself. Fingers have been pointed at the poor fit in the frontcourt, the system used by the head coach, and the dropping coverage on defense that allegedly didn’t play to his strengths. All the while, Horford played the good soldier in public, offering the same professional musings he had throughout a productive and impactful career.