You may not notice the absence of Shane Larkin too much, but losing him will have a major impact on Boston’s rotation
Once again, the Boston Celtics are entering a game figuring out how they are going to make up for an injury. Shane Larkin is the most recent casualty and even if he is the weakest players to get hurt, he will certainly have an impact on the rotation.
Even if Larkin is not one of the most prominent players on the team, he fills the depth in their thinnest position right now. With both Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier in the starting lineup, Larkin was the only backup ball handler, and now Brad Stevens might have to adjust the rotation again.
Stevens may not want to mess with the starting lineup, but he will certainly have to stagger the minutes of Smart and Rozier more. Fortunately, Jaylen Brown has been solid despite the injury, and would have no problem taking back his role in the starting lineup.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
Nevertheless, the Celtics had terrible ball movement in game four, and things will only get harder without Larkin in game five. The Celtics do not depend on Larkin for a lot, but the bottom line is that are are no other options to take on that role, and he did have some sort of role.
This means that Smart is likely to play off the ball more, which means you really should not expect even decent shooting from him. The Celtics do not want Smart creating his own three point shot, but know how will be much more important as a distributor with that second unit.
The key for the Celtics is making sure his injury does not disrupt anything. The starters will have to compensate for the role lost, which could threaten what the first unit wants to do, and they are missing a player that had too much control over the second unit to ignore his impact.
The Celtics are not going to be too worried, because they have overcome much worse injuries than this. With a big that can handle the ball like Al Horford, they know they can survive with just two actual point guards.
Next: 3 things that went wrong in game four
They still have options they know they can use, but if it takes them any kind of time to figure out how to adjust, it might be too late in this game. They have been dealing with ball handling injuries all year long. Even if they do not appear to have the personnel to account for another injury, it is the area they are most experienced in overcoming.