Boston Celtics: Jeff Teague should replace Marcus Smart in starting lineup

The Boston Celtics could use for a shakeup to their arsenal after a 1-2 start to the season. Perhaps swapping out Marcus Smart for Jeff Teague in the starting lineup could do the trick.

After a thrilling opening night win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics have managed to drop two straight, both in grueling fashion — one by means of blowout, the other by a missed last-second attempt.

Frankly, if Jayson Tatum didn’t make that jaw-dropping banker at the end of game one, the shamrocks could easily be looking at an 0-3 start to the 2020-21 campaign which, to the Houdini, is a hard fact to look past.

The Cs have seemed sloppy, out of synch, and hero ball dependent in these early stages of the campaign, and find themselves still with a tough road ahead to finish out their first slate of games.

Should they continue on this course, they could realistically find themselves staying well outside the top-5 in the conference standings (currently at ninth overall) as five of their next seven games are against bubble-invited teams, two against teams who saw deep runs in the 2020 postseason, and one against the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

Based on how things have faired as of late, it’s safe to say that Brad Stevens may look to change things up a bit to better position themselves for a shot at coming away from this month above .500.

While it may not be the most popular take, we here at the Houdini believe a way to go about this could be by inserting Jeff Teague into the starting five, replacing Marcus Smart at point guard.

For the record, this is not a knock on Smart. Often referred to as the “heart and soul of Celtics basketball” here at HH, the 26-year-old is actually having a sound start to the season, averaging nine points, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and a block per game on 39 percent shooting from deep.

However, with him in the first five, the C’s bench seems to be sorely depleted, which is scary considering how bad they were last season.

His “jolt of energy” style of play has become a fan favorite during his time with the Boston Celtics and has proved to be a massive benefit to the team, especially when coming off the pine and commanding the second unit.

Because of their recent struggles, perhaps the team may wish to go with someone like Teague at the starting one instead of trying to have him serve as a spark plug off the bench and, in turn, have Smart return to such a role as discussed before.

At this stage in his career, the 32-year-old Teague is more of a floor general than a second unit centerpiece.

He proved as such just last season, as he posted averages of 12.5 points, 7.5 assists, and a steal per game on 38 percent shooting from deep during games started.

Surrounded by studs like Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he could play the role of facilitator and set-up artist — something he has grown more accustomed to doing during the latter portion of his career –, which could be quite beneficial to this currently constructed roster.

Perhaps having him in the lineup to set the tone for a game right off the bat, and then having Smart come in to keep the defense on their toes by switching up the pace & play style could be an experiment worth considering.

Methodical starts, followed by effective and consistent bench play will be a major key moving forward. Placing Jeff Teague in the starting unit as the floor general, while having Marcus Smart taking command of the second unit could wind up doing the trick.

At the very least, it’s a move worth considering.