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Horford Bounces Back with Career Shooting Month

addByline("Taylor C. Snow", "Celtics.com", "taylorcsnow");

WALTHAM, Mass. – Al Horford’s effective field goal percentage of 44.2 percent during February marked the lowest single-month shooting clip of his career.

He has responded with an EFG percentage of 63.3 percent during March – the highest single-month shooting clip of his career.

One could argue that this is a prime example of the law of averages; Horford’s EFG percentage during the two months equals out to 53.2 percent, which nearly mirrors his career clip of 54.2 percent.

Or, as the Boston Celtics big man pointed out Thursday afternoon, the improvement could be attributed to his level-headed approach and a slight tweak to his game.

“I keep shooting my shots with confidence, but also I started to make more of a conscious effort of getting the ball back in the post, which has helped me get going in games,” Horford told Celtics.com following Thursday’s practice. “So the combination of just keep doing what I do with my routine and being able to post a little more, I think that’s been the difference.”

Horford has been taking roughly the same amount of shots this month (10.9 field goal attempts per game) compared to last month (10.1 FGA per game). His volume of 3-point attempts, however, has been halved from 3.6 attempts per game to 1.8 attempts per game.

Most of Horford’s shots are currently coming from inside the paint, which is where he made a name for himself throughout most of his career.

The more traditional approach has allowed the big man to find outstanding rhythm on his stroke. He has shot 58.7 percent from the field this month, compared to 38.8 percent last month.

Meanwhile, Horford has also been connecting at a high clip from downtown, despite his decrease in 3-point attempts; he has shot an impressive 55.6 percent from beyond the arc during March, which is nearly double his February mark of 30.2 percent.

Those improvements appear to be shocking at a glance, but coach Brad Stevens isn’t surprised by Horford’s recent surge.

“He’s a really good shooter and he’s going to continue to get more comfortable within what we’re doing," said the coach. "Last month was going to be tough for anybody to shoot great, great because of the travel and because of all the different challenges that come with that. I think when you feel fresher, you play fresher, and shots tend to go in. So he looks really good right now, and we’re playing through him a lot.”

The option to play through Horford has been critical lately because recent opponents have been loading up on Boston’s top scorer, Isaiah Thomas. Horford is a unique big man to utilize on the offensive end because of his ability to score and make plays for others.

“It’s kind of like how Golden State plays through Draymond Green and lets the guards set screens and he makes the plays,” Thomas explained. “When Al gets the ball, we trust him enough to be able to make the right play, and for the most part, all year, he’s done that. Lately it’s just how teams have been playing to where… put pressure off myself, let him bring it up and let him figure out things and we just play off of him. I just think it makes the game easier for all of us.”

Horford’s improved efficiency also provides him with confidence following last month’s unusual shooting struggles.

“In my career I’ve never experienced a number of games like that,” Horford said, recalling back to February with a shake of his head. “I felt like I was able to contribute in other ways with my defense, rebounding and assists, but it just feels good to have good shooting rhythm again, and I’ll just try to keep it going.”