Boston Celtics: 3 minutes battles to monitor in preseason
With September having arrived, Boston Celtics basketball is just a month and a half away. While college football and the NFL will be stealing the majority of the sports back pages from now until then (but probably until Christmas if we’re being realistic), the NBA will be starting their most exciting seasons in years.
The fans are back in full effect in arenas around the country, and the top of the food chain’s usual suspects will be looking to reclaim their spot at the top of the hardwood totem pole.
LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers added plenty of talent. Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington, and Rajon Rondo highlight the additions to himself and Anthony Davis’ purple and gold ‘back like I never left’ campaign.
The Miami Heat surrounded Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo with Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, and Markieff Morris while re-signing midseason additions Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon to value deals.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics added two free agents (Dennis Schroder, Enes Kanter) and four players (Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Bruno Fernando, Kris Dunn) via trade to a team that more closely resembles the deep playoff run squads of the past half decade than last year’s mismatched roster.
How they fit into the rotation will be one of the primary discoveries Ime Udoka must make early on, and will lead the way for these 3 specific minutes battles in the preseason:
Boston Celtics minutes battle #1: Al Horford vs. Robert Williams
Who will start games for the Cs at the center position will be among the most pressing questions this preseason…as is who will be finishing games.
Robert Williams has the highest ceiling of any pivot, but Al Horford has been in the trenches with this group, spearheading the miraculous 2018 Eastern Conference finals postseason as the primary big.
He has seemingly taken steps back since, but his 2020-21 campaign with Oklahoma City inspired hope that he can be a starting center on a contender again.
Seeing how the versatile Horford and defensively-stout Williams sort this situation out will be interesting to say the least.