Al Horford Trumps Joe Johnson As Atlanta Hawks Most Valuable Player

The name that you automatically associate with the Atlanta Hawks basketball team is Joe Johnson. And who could blame you?

He has been an integral part of their success since the 2005 season and worth every penny the organization has provided him with. But, there is another name on the roster that you should not take lightly.

Even though he arrived to the team two years after Johnson, Al Horford has showed up and showed out. Horford may even begin to be considered the most valuable player on the Hawks team.

Don’t believe me?

The Atlanta Hawks began the season with six wins—the Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers—only one of which is a .500 team. Even though the caliber of the teams they defeated can be monopolized and meticulously degraded, they were wins and the Hawks looked like sure playoff contenders.

That was before Johnson suffered an injury to his right elbow and was inactive for nine games. Atlanta went 5-4 in those games with wingman Horford leading the charge with an average of 17.4 points, 3.6 assists and 10.2 rebounds.

Over the course of the season, so far, Horford’s field goal percentage is 10 percent greater than Johnson’s. Not to mention that Atlanta suffered their greatest losses, Feb.8 to the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 21, without the aide of Horford.

Horford was out Jan. 21 with a sprained ankle and out the Feb. 8 due to a bruised back injury that he suffered after a flagrant foul by Blake Griffin in their win against the Clippers, 101–100.

The ability to come up after a landing like that hit the game-winning free throw shows how physically inclined Horford is and his desire to win by any means necessary.

Both players have had their off days where the rest of the team has to pick up the slack, but Johnson may want to step it up a notch, because Horford is coming for his “franchise” tag.

Sort of reminds you of the tortoise and the hare.