Trying to predict the Celtics rotation heading into their first preseason game tonight will admittedly read like fan fiction. With as much turnover as the roster has weathered over the summer and the little that we know from their media availability after practice and whatever we can glean from social media videos, it’s anybody guess outside of the walls of the Auerbach Center.
But hey, let’s have some fun.
Here are a few assumptions:
Expect to see two ballhandlers on the floor at all times. That means
two of Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, Jaylen Brown, and Baylor Scheierman. In the preseason, let’s throw rookie Hugo Gonzalez into that mix, too. The team has been talking about playing fast since even before training camp opened up. This will not be a floor general style offense. It’ll be multiple reads over multiple actions. We’re going to see the ball move from strong side and weak side back to strong side in just one possession. Joe Mazzulla is going to want to have multiple guys on the floor that can break down defenses and play off the dribble.
Defensively, Boston will lean heavily on guys that can defend space. Chris Boucher told CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell that he’s been playing a lot of power forward — not at center as many had suspected — and defending former college teammate Pritchard and Brown on the perimeter a lot. That’s a small hint that they’ll be either switching some or at least playing up on screens this season. Thankfully, Boston is chockful of rangy defenders like Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.
Finally, I love this from CelticsBlog’s Bobby Manning: Josh Minott starting at small forward:
Bobby could be right. If there’s a player that has embodied Boston’s transformation this fall, it’s Minott. On Monday, he proclaimed, “I feel like I might be the fastest on the team.” If Boston is going to succeed in this March Madness, motion all-the-time, full effort pedal-to-the-metal style, they need complete buy-in not just from the starters, but role players like Minott.
So, here’s a stab at tomorrow’s starters and possible rotation:
Not exactly the hockey line substitutions that Walsh suggested, but there are some intriguing pairings and trios that we could see tonight.
Some things of note:
- If Pritchard is starting, Simons could flourish as a scorer off the bench. Having Sam Hauser in the second unit and pairing most of his time with Boucher, too, creates space on the floor.
- Can Minott and Queta survive so many minutes playing together? Defensively, having two pogo sticks around the rim is a terrifying proposition for opposing team, but pogo sticks can’t shoot, so they might be limited on the other end.
- Like many over at NBC Sports Boston, my attention will be on Scheierman. At worst, he slots in as another shooter on the floor, but I’m wondering if he could also be a first action point forward and a pesky point-of-attack defender.
- Last season, the Celtics arguably had the deepest center rotation in the league with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, but I wonder if there will be enough room for Queta, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman Sr. to all see substantial minutes if everybody is healthy. I predict that Mazzulla will throttle between shooting and defense at the 3 and 4 and with Minott and Boucher getting playing time there, I don’t see a lot of double big configurations.
Celtics kick off their preseason at 5 pm against the Memphis Grizzlies.
