TORONTO — The Celtics will start Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza on Wednesday night when they face the Toronto Raptors.
It will be Garza’s first start of the season and Scheierman’s second. Paul George, fresh off a 36-point outing against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, is out with illness.
The Celtics will employ a double-big lineup to begin the game
for the first time this season. Garza is averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game, while shooting a team-best 52% from three.
“It just gives me another avenue to get on the floor, especially with the bigs that we have and the depth that we have,” Garza said last week of the double-big lineup. “So for me, it’s something I’m going to commit to and buy into trying to be the most effective at that position.”
Scheierman, meanwhile, is averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, and has also been among the team’s most reliable three-point shooters, hitting 45.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have regularly shifted starting lineups this season
On Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mike Conley got his first start of the season, which he later revealed to CelticsBlog was a decision made by Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.
On Sunday morning, Mazzulla walked into the Celtics’ team meeting and asked the room who should start; Jordan Walsh started in 6 of the Celtics’ first 9 games, while Hugo Gonzalez got the chance in three of them.
“He was like, ‘So who’s starting?’” Conley recalled. “He left it up to his players. And JT is like, ‘Mike, me…,’ and gave the starting lineup. I’m like, it’s real.”
