With the addition of Dennis Schroder, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations has all but completed a facelift of the roster former GM Danny Ainge left behind this past June.
The starting lineup has potentially added a second new addition with Al Horford having already been acquired earlier in the offseason. Schroder joining the roster gives first-year head coach Ime Udoka incredible depth in his initial Boston go-around.
It’s unclear just yet how Udoka will deploy his deep roster, though. Options are abound following a strong first offseason for the new front office.
Here are 4 potential options for the C’s starting lineup in 2021-22:
Boston Celtics possible starting lineup #1: Dennis Schroder, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams
Perhaps the addition of Dennis Schroder was a way to shift Marcus Smart back to the backup point guard role he once thrived in. While that probably wasn’t the primary goal Brad Stevens had in mind when he got Schroder on the cheap, it is a neat potential side effect.
With Smart in a contract year during the upcoming 2021-22 campaign, it’d be a questionable practice to move him to the second unit. Smart, a prideful guy, could end up using that as a springboard out of Beantown if contract negotiations don’t go his way.
That said, the potential of an Al Horford-Robert Williams frontcourt is tantalizing if Horford can maintain his shooting levels from 2020-21. Schroder could run the pick-and-roll with both bigs and the Jays would have elite screen-setting from both frontcourt spots, opening up their in-between games even more.