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Boston Celtics: 3 Things We Want To See in Preseason Opener

By Thomas King

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics are introduced prior to Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics are introduced prior to Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward
How will Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward look in their Boston Celtics preseason debut?  (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Who will be in the starting lineup?

During the off-season, there has been a lot of talk about who the Celtics should start and whether or not Stevens will go with his best five, and Horford at center, or try to protect Horford by pairing him with a more traditional big.

The media may be curious and confused about who Boston will start, but don’t make the mistake of assuming Stevens is overthinking his decision; Stevens is going to start his best five players–Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford–on most nights.

Don’t forget, that five-man lineup was the Opening Night starting lineup last season and provides so much versatility and flexibility on both sides of the ball that it’s hard to imagine there’ll be any concern about matching up with anybody else.

Many media members have questioned whether Horford will wear down if forced to play at the five full-time, with Alex Kungu of Celticsblog even going so far as to say Horford should come off the bench in certain match ups.

Of course, Stevens wants to manage Horford’s minutes and protect him from fatigue and injury over a long season. However, is it really any more tiring to play center in the modern NBA than power forward? I’m not convinced.

The argument has always been that banging down low with big bodies takes its toll on a player, but isn’t it just as taxing on one’s body to continuously chase a small-ball power forward off the three-point line, closing out hard and under control while also not allowing him to drive?

In fact, in some ways, I think it’s easier to conserve energy playing center than matching up with a shooting forward. Many centers hang around the basket area and there are far fewer post ups in the modern NBA; that gives a player like Horford active recovery time on the defensive end.

In addition to the starting lineup choice, it will be very interesting to see what other lineup combinations Stevens uses in the opener. The Celtics have so much depth and versatility, giving Stevens a lot of talent to toy with.

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