The Boston Celtics have great options with their veteran bigs coming off the bench
The Boston Celtics are going into next season with an unsettled front court. They have Al Horford and a stellar trio of wings, but everything gets way too cluttered after that. They Celtics have younger versatile options with great upside, and established veterans who know how to have an impact.
It will take time for Brad Stevens to figure out everything he wants to do with the front court, but having those established veterans are a great fall back option if the young versatile talent does no work out.
The Celtics certainly have options. Daniel Theis looks ready to have a two way impact, Robert Williams has a lot of potential on the defenisve end, Semi Ojeleye has already proven himself on defense and Guerschon Yabusele is just waiting to break out.
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The problem with all those players is there is no trust yet. The Celtics have a general idea, but still need to discover what they can realistically expect these players to do on a regular basis.
There will not be enough minutes for all these options to actually have a role, but Stevens will give them their opportunities to showcase what they can do.
Early on, all of these guys should be featured in the rotation. Stevens will be able to feel out how they are doing against top competition, and whether or not he can afford to have them on the court on a regular basis.
With so many options, there is a good chance that enough will work out to give Stevens a great front court attack off the bench. If, however, none of them work out, the Celtics will be able to lean on their veterans a lot more.
Both Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes can have an impact that the Celtics trust. They have proven themselves and know what they are capable of doing. Neither of them have the upside of those other options, but they are a safe bet, whereas there is a lot of risk with the younger options.
The Celtics have a lot of things they need to figure out with the bench, but there is going to be a lot to work with. The Celtics will often need a calming presence, and Stevens will continue to go to what he relies on.
These younger players will get a chance, but Banes and Morris will set the standard high. It will not be easy for them to grow into the kind of players that will have a better impact than Baynes or Morris, and there is no reason to believe either of them will be falling off at all this season.
The Celtics should have a special bench this season, and they do not even need all their players to work out. They will see what options are going to help them in the long term, and you can expect the trusted veterans to continue to get enough minutes to have an impact.