When it comes to the rotation for the Boston Celtics during this upcoming campaign, only one thing is for certain — if and when healthy, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are guaranteed starters.
Other than that, everything else is essentially still up in the air.
In comparison to last season’s squad, the Cs have endured quite a few shakeups and changes that will undoubtedly make new head coach, Ime Udoka‘s lineup strategies differ from Brad Stevens’.
First step for this new regime is to figure out a starting unit to roll with come October 20th’s tip-off against New York. As we mentioned, with the way the roster is currently constructed, the Boston Celtics really only have two players that should absolutely be thrust into the first five rotation.
Outside of the Jays, however, there are a few other spots that are up for grabs and we here at the Houdini believe there are 3 players, in specific, that could surprise the masses and earn themselves a starting spot this season:
Surprise Boston Celtics starter No. 1) Josh Richardson
Though we mentioned that Tatum and Brown are likely the only guaranteed starters for the Boston Celtics at this point in time, veteran Marcus Smart may not be too far behind in being viewed in the same vein, especially considering the high expectations that Udoka has for the guard.
Should the Swiss Army man ultimately be put in the team’s starting one slot, the coaching staff may wish to add more size and defensive versatility into the backcourt rotation alongside him, and Josh Richardson would be a solid option for them to consider at the two.
Despite some fans’ lack of enthusiasm when it was announced the wing would be signing a one-year extension that pays him $24 million in total through 2023, Richardson is actually a quality addition that the Cs made this offseason and could serve as a reliable two-way shooting guard.
A career 12.3 point per game scorer on shooting splits of 43 / 36 / 83, the sixth-year veteran is a capable scorer from outside of the arch as well as when attacking the paint thanks to his impressive athleticism and underrated ball handling abilities & body control, and has the capability to take over games when need be.
On the flip side, however, he’s more known for his defensive abilities with his length (6-5 with a 6-10 wingspan), active hands, and high defensive IQ, and has boasted stellar defensive numbers for the better part of his career (twice has ranked within the top-5 in defensive real plus-minus at his respective positions).
A good option to have on both ends of the court, Richardson will certainly be in the running for the starting two guard for next season.
Surprise Boston Celtics starter No. 2) Al Horford
After the four-year, $54 million extension Robert Williams III received earlier this month, many may be under the impression that he’ll be the frontrunner to land the starting gig at the five for the Boston Celtics this coming season.
Frankly, after what he did in the first five last year (9.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks on 70 percent shooting), it’s easy to see why many would be interested in seeing him re-inserted into this same role in 2021-22.
However, one mustn’t forget that Al Horford is now back in Beantown and, in turn, will almost certainly be competing to be the team’s starting pivot.
Last year, the veteran big proved to still have plenty left in the tank when serving at the five for the OKC Thunder.
Taking part in a bounce-back season after enduring one of the worst campaigns of his career the year before (2019-20) with the Philadelphia 76ers, Horford went on to post 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and just shy of a block per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from deep.
While Williams may be known for his stupendous rim-protecting abilities (averages nearly 3.8 blocks per 75 possessions), the 14-year pro has made a name for himself over his tenure as a defensive anchor, boasting a career defensive box plus-minus of +1.1 and having an NBA All-Defensive selection to his name (2016).
On top of this, Horford is certainly as good of a distributor as Williams has proven to be (which is a compliment for both parties) while his floor spacing abilities are miles ahead in comparison (shoots 36 percent from deep for his career while Time Lord has only attempted two deep balls, both of which were misses).
Because of these aspects of his game, coupled with his ample experience and proven excellence in the league in a starting gig (5x All-Star and an All-NBA selection), Al Horford will absolutely be pushing for the main center position this coming fall.
Quite frankly, we at HH believe he’d be the best option for the Boston Celtics this season.
Surprise Boston Celtics starter No. 3) Dennis Schroder
When it was announced that Dennis Schroder had signed on to the Boston Celtics this summer, many were highly impressed by the fact that they landed a man once perceived as an $80 million talent on a one-year, $5.9 million deal.
Because of this, the signing was pegged as being free agency’s biggest steal and, with this, the Cs got another player to help bolster their point guard depth which, in fact, was their weakest area within the rotation.
According to writer/ reporter Keith Smith, when signing with the Celtics the German-born baller had no assumption that he was coming on to serve as the team’s starting point guard:
"Dennis Schroder signed with Boston with no expectation of a starting role. Celtics made it clear that Ime Udoka will evaluate roles and minutes. Also, this will be Udoka’s decision only."
Now, while this is certainly a great thing to read for any Boston Celtics fan, as it means Schroder’s coming on to the team simply to play basketball rather than fill any sort of ego, make no mistake about it — once training camp and preseason begins, the 27-year-old will be gunning for that starting guard slot.
Though he may have had a lowly 2020-21 campaign, he still went on to post solid averages of 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 44 percent shooting from the floor and nearly 34 percent shooting from deep.
During the season prior when in Oklahoma City, Schroder put forth one of his best seasons as a pro, averaging 18.9 points, four assists, and 3.6 rebounds on 47 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent shooting from deep.
On top of all this, despite starting just 63 total games over the past five years, during this span, the point guard is one of only 16 players in the association to log 6,000 points and 1,500 assists.
While recency bias may have some forget, it wasn’t all that long ago that he was viewed as a potential franchise point guard.
With the Boston Celtics, perhaps he can fix his reputation up and thrust himself back into a similar conversation as being a quality starting one.