NBA Draft Stock Watch: Conference Tournament Week (Part Four)

Al Horford had a very solid showing against Arkansas in the SEC Finals, showing off his improved jump shot along with his usual strong post defense and rebounding. Horford hit three spot-up jumpers from about 18 feet on the game, as well as one from 10 feet, looking very smooth on all three while showing decent form and a decent release speed. Horford’s succeeded in making this jumper a consistent staple of his offensive arsenal this season, and it should help his transition to the NBA next year. Horford didn’t do much with his back to the basket on the game, and that’s an area he could still use some improvement in, but he did hit one turnaround jumper from about five feet and also drew a foul on a drop-step attempt.

Horford had an excellent game on the boards, using all of his abilities to track down rebounds, utilizing his strength and fundamentals to box out and maintain inside position, his length to rebound over the opposition when he didn’t have position, and his mobility to track down rebounds that didn’t come directly to him. Defensively, Horford did a good job in the post both fronting and playing his man straight up, and also did a good job contesting shots on the weakside. He had some trouble when forced to drift out to the perimeter against some of Arkansas’s smaller lineups, as he didn’t seem to heavily contest outside jumpers, preferring to stay closer to the paint where he could assist on the weakside. Then again, this seemed to be Florida’s defensive game plan from the beginning with both Horford and teammate Joakim Noah, and it’s tough to argue with the 77-56 final score.