Boston Celtics: The definitive guide to next year’s center rotation
By Jack Simone
Most fans are content with the Boston Celtics trade that sent Kemba Walker to the Thunder for Al Horford. However, the aftermath of the deal created a log-jam at the five.
The C’s now have five centers on their roster in need of playing time – Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Moses Brown, and Horford.
Obviously, a normal rotation usually only has room for two or three centers. This means the Celtics will either have to split those minutes five ways or trade one or more of these players.
Horford was a fan-favorite during his time in Boston, but there are some slight concerns ahead of his return. Some fans think the 35-year-old may be washed, but his numbers from last season say otherwise.
He may be older, but he certainly still contributes to winning basketball games. So that begs the question, what does the current center rotation look like?
Ideally, none of these players should be on the floor together at the same time. There is a little more wiggle room with Grant Williams, but he plays best as a small-ball five.
The double-big lineups did not work out too well for Boston last season, so it’s hard to see them going back to it, regardless of the coaching change. The most likely scenario is that a player is traded, but if not, each of these players will want minutes.
How many minutes will each player average next year? More importantly, where will they fall in the center rotation?