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Boston Celtics: How Far Can They Take Their Versatility?

By Joshua Bateman

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 10: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors passes the ball as Al Horford #42 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics defend during the first half of an NBA game at Air Canada Centre on January 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 10: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors passes the ball as Al Horford #42 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics defend during the first half of an NBA game at Air Canada Centre on January 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics will have to test how far they can push their versatility this season

The Boston Celtics have a lot of different lineup options, but very few of them appear to be traditional. As it stands now, the Celtics have one guard that they know is starting, one big that they know is starting, and they could fill everything in between in a lot of different ways.

The Celtics have Marcus Smart and Aron Baynes who could fill out the most traditional lineup they can offer, but that is not how Brad Stevens will get the most talent on the court.

Other starting lineup candidates are Marcus Morris, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and it will be interesting to see how far Ainge attempts to test their versatility. In fact, a lineup featuring Kyrie Irving, Brown, Gordon Hayward, Tatum and Al Horford cannot even be ruled out.

That would be pushing the absolute limits of their versatility. The Celtics would have three players in Brown, Tatum and Hayward that would all be interchangeable, but that could put a lot of pressure on Irving and Horford.

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It would be almost impossible for Stevens to get that lineup to work right away, largely because of how young and inexperienced they would be.

A more reasonable use of their versatility would be a lineup featuring Irving, Smart, Hayward, Brown and Horford.

Smart would have solidify the lineup, and that takes away the biggest risk of that first lineup, which is defensive pressure on Tatum. The Celtics could certainly use Tatum on offense, and he could fit into any of those three spots on the court.

The problem is that the Celtics cannot yet expect Brown to defend the way Smart does, and unless Hayward makes a big jump this season, that responsibility on the rookie would be unsustainable. On top of that, the pressure on Horford would be tremendous. Brown would be the only other plus defender playing at his proper position, and that could break down quickly.

A lot of how far the Celtics can push their versatility has to do with how well Horford can play as a full time center. He played that role phenomenally last year, but it was not a permanent role. Horford had another big in the starting lineup, and Stevens may opt to do that in order to have an easier transition to start the season.

Horford and Smart are going to be the two most important players in sustaining these versatile lineups, and if Smart is needed to run the second unit, that will limit a lot of their opportunities.

Without another tradtional big, the Celtics will need an undersized defender they can trust to defend bigs, and Smart or Brown are the only options for that. Brown, however, is still too young to expect real consistency on that end from.

If Smart is needed on the bench, then the limits of their versatility would probably be Irving, Brown, Hayward, Morris and Horford. If the Celtics need to make up the difference of having only one real big, they cannot have to worry about making up for Tatum’s defense.

If Smart is on the bench, then the Celtics will at least need Morris out there to help solidify the paint a bit. Baynes could also be an option, but that would leave them with out of their least versatile lineups.

Morris may not have the offensive potential of Tatum, but he can still stretch the floor, while providing that security on the defensive end.

The Celtics know that Irving, Hayward and Horford are absolute locks to be in the starting and closing lineups. All the versatility on the team gives Stevens a lot of options, but they still limit themselves by needing stable defense.

It would be really awesome to see both Brown and Tatum in the starting lineup. The youth movement is upon us, and if they are already top contributors, then the future looks even brighter for this team.

Unfortunately, starting both Tatum and Brown might be beyond the limit of their versatility. Unless Hayward and Brown can prove to be as strong defenders as Smart and Horford, then the only way a starting lineup could sustain Tatum would be with Smart starting. Chances are, however, even if Smart is starting, Tatum may not be ready for the starting unit.

A lot of this season will be exploring how Stevens can use the great versatility on the team, but Stevens will not accept any lineup that is not stable on the defensive end, preventing Stevens from being able to use the most intriguing lineup of Irving, Brown, Hayward, Tatum and Horford.

Next: The Terry Rozier Difference

If you take out Tatum and put in Smart, then you should be left with the most versatile combination of players that can be trusted on both ends of the court.

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