Horford: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Look ‘Unbelievable’ at Celtics Camp

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Al Horford paced toward the basket after speaking with a group of kids at his camp on Sunday, as if they dared him. He lifted off the floor, turned into a reverse slam and grazed the rim as the ball rattled in, showing them he still has it. In two days, it’s full speed ahead.

The Celtics already transitioned from celebration toward preparation long ago. Horford, speaking with CLNS Media at his camp, said Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Payton Pritchard and the team’s younger cast including Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman have set a tone among the early arrivers Auerbach Center workouts in recent weeks. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have joined them, standing out physically, as did Kristaps Porziņģis on Saturday — who Horford will fill in for as Porziņģis continues his rehab from June surgery.

“It’s been so impressive,” Horford told CLNS. “Our guys, everybody just getting in, trying to get better. I think that Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, but then Payton Pritchard. I mean, Payton is setting the tone. He looks really good. All our young guys as well, Jordan Walsh, Baylor (Scheierman). Baylor has looked pretty impressive in these days, but everybody’s just really committed to putting in the work and getting after it, and the rest of us, obviously, we’ve been in there too and it’s just been nice to see everybody in there working back together and kind of turning the page and getting ready for this season.”

Horford’s son Ean joined him at Sunday’s camp where they split into teams for shooting competitions that finished with the losing team doing push-ups. Weeks earlier, Ean, his four siblings and the rest of the family landed in the Dominican Republic with Al — where he received his native country’s highest honor — the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez, and Mella in the degree of Knight. 

The award surprised Horford, who thought he returned home to simply host his annual camp there and showcase the Larry O’Brien trophy as the first NBA champion from the DR. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and other members of the organization joined him in support. Several Dominican and Dominican-American basketball stars have followed in he and his father Tito’s footsteps after Tito became the first Dominican NBA player in 1988.

“Being able to bring the trophy down there and then had a chance to get some kids and see the trophy, they were able to hold the trophy and do a clinic over there. It was very, very special for me and my family,” Horford said.

Like Stevens, Mazzulla and other Celtics, Horford continues to savor the memories his first championship provided him in June. The embrace between teammates on the stage. His family’s presence throughout the run.

The parade blew him away, crossing through Boston’s streets where millions of Celtics fans piled onto sidewalks, street lights and whatever else they could climb to see and scream at the 2024 champions. Horford said he still dreams about that day.

It’s part of why he didn’t consider walking away from the game after accomplishing the long elusive goal. Horford said his competitiveness brought him back for his 17th season, along with knowing what a roster returning nearly in its entirety and how much they depend on him. He’ll log significant minutes to help sustain the team’s success while Porziņģis is out. Brown and Jrue Holiday noticed how much they’ve depended on their veteran big man during their championship run, saying they’ve done so too much.

Horford embraced it — shaking off a shooting slump early in the postseason with 22 points and 15 rebounds in a Game 5 against Cleveland that became a signature moment during their run. He went on to shoot 42.2% from three through the final two rounds and held Luka Dončić to 9-for-28 shooting on switches in the Finals.

“The expectation when you’re a Celtic is you have to win. It took us, it took me a lot of years to get to this point and we finally won, and looking into this season, it doesn’t change. That’s our goal,” Horford said. “That’s what we are striving for … I love this journey that we’re on right now, and I just feel like we’re in a really good place and I feel like I’m in a good place and I want to help our team achieve that.”

While Horford and others rested in the months that followed, Tatum quickly returned to the court for Team USA and Brown anticipated doing so before his now infamous snub from the roster. Tatum sat out two games in the benching heard around the world and played limited minutes in other games, a story Horford said enough has been said about at this point. All he’s noticed is that both have taken a step in their return to the facility.

“They’re just excited to get back to it with us as a group,” Horford said. “We’ve all been working individually for us to start building this thing back up, but Jayson looks great, in great shape. Jaylen looks unbelievable as well, and I just know that they’re ready to go and I’m ready to go and we’re just excited.”