This isn’t what anyone expected a few months ago. In the immediate aftermath of the season, no one in their right mind would have said “don’t worry, Al Horford and Dennis Schröder will be here next season. They’ll help a lot.”
It’s the most unlikely of reunions, partially because it came together entirely because of financial circumstances.
If the Celtics didn’t need to dump Kemba Walker’s salary (and if the Philadelphia 76ers situation didn’t implode for Al), Horford wouldn’t have been an option. If Schröder’s market value didn’t unexpectedly crater, he wouldn’t have still been available for the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Whatever weirdness brought Horford and Schröder together, it is becoming more evident that the connection between these two will be a key element to Boston’s success this season.
"It's fun,” Horford said after looking like he and Schröder were back in their Atlanta Hawks uniforms for stretches Monday night. “He's such a competitor. He plays so hard. That's why I feel like people here are going to like him a lot. ... He knows what to do and the places he needs to be. He's just reading the game out there. It's easier when you play with a guy like that.”
New Celtics already have some Chemistry 👀
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 5, 2021
Dennis Schröder to Al Horford for the big slam 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PEkjgfEVNj
Horford is noticeably quick for a 35-year-old NBAer. Schröder is a quick attention-getter with his dribble penetration. Together, the pair leans on their history together to mesh their skills on the court.
“Our chemistry is still there, I believe,” Schröder said after practice on Wednesday. “In training camp, we had a chance to talk about a few things with where he likes the ball and when he wants to score off the pick-and-roll. We’ve just been working on it and getting better at it each day.”
The stated goal for the Celtics is to support and enhance Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown through personnel and coaching decisions. With Ime Udoka already revealing that his plan is to have at least one of his two stars on the floor as often as possible, the pick-and-roll duo of Schröder and Horford could be critical to carrying bench units.
This is why starting Juancho Hernangomez was interesting, as was the first substitution being Horford, Schröder, and Josh Richardson. It seems possible that Udoka was tipping his hand.
Let’s start with this quote:
“(Horford is) a steady force for those guys out there,” Udoka said after Monday’s game. “Al can do a lot of things out there, so we know who we have now and we're going to tinker with some more of the lineups. But like I said, don't read too much into who we start and who we're playing. We know what we have in Al with that group.”
With limited time on the floor Monday, it seems Udoka started what might be the group after the first substitution -- meaning Monday’s starters is actually the group we’d see five or six minutes into the game.
Starting Horford and Robert Williams together, then subbing Horford out early, possibly with Tatum, and then bringing a group of Tatum, Horford, Schröder, and Richardson into the game later in the quarter could give Udoka the matchup issues he’s trying to create with the starting unit while also giving Schröder his preferred big man partner.
“What he brings to the table, there’s not a lot of people doing that in this league,” Schröder said. “Been seeing it (since) my first year, and he keeps doing it. And to have a great locker room is really, really important in this league, I believe. So we’re in good hands there.”
Horford’s leadership in this situation is as critical as his ability to catch Schröder’s lobs, because it will be easy for this second unit to fall apart if things aren’t going well. Schröder is likely only in Boston temporarily, and Horford’s steadying force can help keep any selfishness or contract-motivated decisions in check. Horford can also help Richardson and the younger players keep their heads straight if they fall into slumps.
“It’s just great to be in the same locker room as him every day,” Schröder said. “Just to see him – his leadership, his mentality in practice, keeping everybody together, that’s what I loved about him my first few years and still to this day. Everybody appreciates that, and he’s been great for us.”
There’s an obvious mutual respect and fondness between Schröder and Horford. We caught a quick glimpse of how it might work on the court Monday night, and it was some of the most cohesive basketball the Celtics displayed in the very early going. Fostering that relationship could be a critical piece to the Celtics success if they’re going to beat out the expectations.
“Dennis is a hard nosed player, competitor, he's going to give it his all,” Horford said. “I'm just looking forward for him to fitting in here and figuring it out and that's kind of what I said to him. I was really surprised that we were in a position to get him ... I was just happy when I found out we got him.”