Serious decline! What is the level of the 39-year-old Horford this season?

The 39-year-old Horford still looks like a 39-year-old.

Recently, according to American reporter Evan Sidery, the Warriors originally hoped that the addition of Horford would improve the team's strength, but his poor performance prompted the team to actively seek another center before the trade deadline.

Horford is the Warriors' biggest signing in the free market this year (excluding Kuminga). The contract is 11.65 million for two years, of which the second year is a player option. When he first signed, many fans believed that his arrival could bring some differences to the Warriors.

Judging from the second game against the Nuggets after joining, Horford did bring some help. In that overtime battle, Curry scored 42 points against Gordon 50 points. Horford came on the bench for 29 minutes, shooting 5 of 8, 3 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

In addition to his outstanding offense, Horford also served as the main defender and prevented Jokic from scoring 21 points on 23 shots. In the 32 rounds between the two of them directly facing each other, Jokic made 3 of 12 shots and only scored 9 points. In the fourth quarter + overtime, Jokic only made 1 of 7 shots and was completely guarded by the old man.

However, this was just one game after all. After that, Horford's personal offense continued to have low performance, such as:

- against the Clippers, 1 of 5 shots, only 2 points

- against the Bucks, 1 of 6 shots, only 3 points

- against the Kings, 0 of 8 shots, no points

- Against the Spurs, 0 for 4 shots, no points

So far this season, Horford has played a total of 11 games. The data he handed over is: 22.1 minutes per game, 5.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 turnovers, 33.8% field goal percentage, 31.9% three-point shooting percentage, and 47.2% true shooting percentage.

For comparison, Horford, who has been with the Celtics in the past three seasons:

- In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 30.5 minutes per game, 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.6 assists. turnovers, three-point shooting percentage of 44.6%, true shooting percentage of 63.1%

- In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 26.8 minutes per game, 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists, 0.7 turnovers, and three-point shooting percentage of 41. 9%, true shooting percentage 65.0%

- In the 2024-25 season, averaged 27.6 minutes per game, 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 turnovers, 36.3% three-point shooting, 56.3 true shooting percentage %

In the 2022-24 season, Horford can be said to be the league's top space insider. 2/3 of his shots are outside the three-point line, and he can guarantee a hit rate of more than 40%. Even if there was a decline last season, he still has a hit rate of at least 36%.

But this season, Horford's three-point shooting percentage is less than 32%, there is basically no inside finishing, rebounds cannot be guaranteed, and he plays less time, resulting in more mistakes.

Now he can be said to be at the worst offensive level of his career. Advanced data can also prove that Horford's offensive BPM this season is as low as -3.9, the worst of his career. Two years ago, this number was still +1.7.

Of course, Horford still has defense, but as he gets older, his defensive level is not as good as it was back then. In terms of accuracy reduction rate, Horford interfered with 13 shots per game this season, and his opponent's shooting percentage increased by 1.7% (a decrease of 2.9% last season), and the 10-foot inside line increased by 7.1% (a decrease of 5.8% last season).

The overall decline in both offense and defense has also had a direct impact on the Warriors. So far:

- With Horford on the court, the Warriors have scored 106.2 points per 100 possessions, conceded 114.3 points, and lost 8.1 points on a net basis

——With Horford off the court, the Warriors scored 112.8 points per 100 possessions, conceded 108.5 points, and had a net win of 4.3 points

So far this season, Horford's on/off value is as low as -12.4, while last season, this number was still +4.1.

Due to Kuminga's contract extension this summer, Horford has been waiting for the Warriors for a very long time on the free market. This is particularly precious, and judging from last season, he is indeed worthy of a two-year, 11.65 million contract.

But there is one thing to say. Horford has really declined this season, and the extent is quite large. From the original 20-minute starting level of a strong team to the substitute, he is unable to make a positive contribution.

What the Warriors can hope for is that if they enter the playoffs, Horford can use his experience and golf intelligence to continue to help the team, but before that, they may still have to find a better inside man, who can at least protect the frame and grab boards - the 39-year-old Horford finally looks like a 39-year-old. At this age, you really can't expect too much.