The quiet return of Al Horford

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty ImagesAl Horford is back.

"It's a bigger appreciation...I'm so happy to be back in Boston," Horford said at Media Day on Monday. "I appreciate even more what it means to be a Celtic and represent Boston. Looking at the group we have here, I'm even more excited."

Al Horford signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent back in 2016 and was the first "big fish" the franchise acquired in their rebuild. Horford joined a roster that was headlined by Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley.

Over the next three years, Horford would embark on some of the most successful seasons of his career, making the conference finals twice in consecutive years. In his…