Al Horford texted Robert Williams after joining Philadelphia 76ers

Al Horford may no longer be with the Boston Celtics. But his impact on the team is still being felt.

With Celtics training camp underway, second-year center Robert Williams took some time to recognize Horford's leadership abilities and was effusive of his praise for the former C's big-man.

"He was a great leader, a non-vocal leader," Williams said per MassLive.com's Tom Westerholm. "In some cases, you’ve got to follow people that aren’t vocal in everything they do. But off the court too, Al comes up to me all the time. ... Al was a great leader."

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Of course, Horford signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason for an excess of $100 million. But when Horford left the team, he reached out to Williams and said that he looked forward to facing him in many NBA games moving forward, per Westerholm. And that meant a lot to Williams.

"It was kind of like a respect thing," Williams said. "It made me feel good."

As a rookie, Williams played sparingly for the Celtics, but was solid when on the field. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds on a terrific 70.6 shooting percentage while also blocking 1.3 shots per game. He only played in 32 games, but he is hoping to earn a large role in 2019.