CELTICS: Al Horford provides a veteran presence

The 32-year-old center will open his 12th NBA season and third in Boston a week from Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden.

BOSTON – He was recruited to play for the Celtics during the same weekend in 2016 when Kevin Durant was also receiving a sales pitch.

Al Horford had played nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks after winning back-to-back NCAA championships at Florida and decided to test free agency.

The Celtics were right there when the market opened and convinced Horford there was a bright future in store for the franchise.

The team was coming off a 48-win season and lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs to Horford and the Hawks, but the Celtics had just drafted Jaylen Brown No. 3 and were in possession of another likely lottery pick in 2017.

So Horford agreed to a four-year, $113-million contract before Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors.

And with the help of Horford, the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference finals two straight seasons, losing both times to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He is now halfway through that four-year deal and can become a free agent next summer if he elects to opt out of the final year worth $30 million.

It would not be surprising if Horford heads to free agency in order to sign a longer term deal with the Celtics, but he has even put that on the radar.

“I’m not focused on next year and free agency and all those things,’’ said Horford the day before training camp opened last month. “I’m very grateful and happy with what we are building here in Boston. When I came in here two summers ago, Danny (Ainge) and (owner) Wyc (Grousbeck) and coach (Brad Stevens), they kind of sold me on this vision that we were going to be able to have this type of team.

“I believed them then and I made a commitment that I wanted to be the best that I can and win a championship here. We have such a big opportunity that we can’t allow ourselves to look ahead and think about any of that. I’m really locked in with this season.’’

The 32-year-old Horford is the elder statesman on the Celtics and is counted on for his leadership on and off the court and his versatility on both offense and defense.

Horford will open his 12th NBA season a week from Tuesday night when the Celtics face the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden, and he is excited about what lies ahead for a team loaded with depth.

“It’s the most talent I’ve been around,’’ said Horford. “I think this season we have a better understanding where we stand as a team, as a group. Obviously, there’s a lot of high expectations.

“We just felt like we grew a lot last year and now we get Kyrie (Irving) and Gordon (Hayward) back. We feel like it just takes us to another level.’’

After Horford ended the narrative that the Celtics couldn’t attract a big-name free agent when he signed in 2016, Hayward followed a year later, leaving the Utah Jazz.

Then Irving arrived via the Isaiah Thomas trade in the summer of 2017 and last week revealed that he is going to sign a long-term contract next July to stay with the Celtics.

That gives the Celtics three players who have been All-Stars to go with up-and-coming players like Jayson Tatum and Brown plus Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart, making the future indeed bright.

Horford is there showing the way with all of his experience gained since entering the NBA in 2007.

“He’s been through 11 straight years of playoff teams and he can speak to all of his experiences,’’ said Stevens. “He knows what made us good and he knows what we need to work on to be better.

“We’ve tried our best to all talk about that and be that, but his voice carries a lot more weight than mine or any of the other coaches. It’s great to have guys like him passing that on.’’

Horford, who will be playing a bit more center with Aron Baynes coming off the bench this season, brings a calmness to the Celtics and is able to direct the defense while doing what needs to be done on offense.

“Even-keeled, stays the course, realizes it’s a long season and is a veteran presence,’’ said Irving. “One of the best bigs I’ve played with, hands down. (He’s) able to catch the ball and make decisions and makes our defense better. I’m happy he’s on our team, I can say that.’’

Horford was the last all-star standing on the Celtics’ roster last season after Hayward and Irving exited with injuries, and now that they’re back, there will be adjustments.

“(They) make the game easy for me and the rest of the guys,’’ said Horford. “I just have to figure out how I can help them be successful.

“Offensively, we need to figure out how to play with one another. Roles will be different, things will be limited because of the amount of players we have. It’s important for our group to appreciate what we have.

“We have a really good opportunity, a really good team, a lot of good players. We can’t look ahead. We just have to make the most out of every step. With that mindset, we should be fine.’’