The Boston Celtics have sent out and brought in more names than the NBA’s media group has given them credit for. The 2018-19 team is no more than a skeleton, and last season’s team has departed for the most part.
Considering how the Cs’ season ended, it’s understandable why Brad Stevens brought about so many changes. The Celts needed a change of culture in their locker room and some on the court tweaks that bled through all of their losses last season.
Boston lost a lot of starting caliber pieces this offseason. Between Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye, and more, there is a lot of room for the pieces Stevens added to blossom, and that includes in the starting lineup.
Some will find more success coming off the bench as Dennis Schroder did in OKC, but others will be better suited in the starting lineup like Robert Williams. The starting five will undoubtedly consist of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, but the other two starters and five guys in the rotation behind them are entirely up in the air.
We won’t know who those seven guys will be until the season starts, but we can speculate in the meantime.
Today, we’re going to take a look at three potential wild-card starters we could see this upcoming season. Some new faces will be introduced and some familiar names we’ve already seen inserted into the starting five in previous seasons.
Boston Celtics SG/SF Aaron Nesmith
Heading off the list of potential starters is Aaron Nesmith. Although he wasn’t one of the Boston Celtics’ offseason additions, the Cs’ season will heavily depend on Nesmith’s growth. The 14th overall pick in last year’s draft came out of the gates in rough shape but sprinted across the finish line towards the latter part of the season.
Nesmith showed heart and the will to learn on the fly, two things Brad Stevens values heavily. However, as great of an ending to the 2020-21 season as Nesmith had, he still has a lot of room to grow.
The Boston Celtics did not add any movement shooting this season outside of Sam Hauser, whose role is still unknown. That means most of the Celtics relocation and off-the-catch shooting will fall on Jaylen Brown and Aaron Nesmith.
We know Jaylen Brown is capable of knocking down every open three the Celtics can get him, but it remains to be seen whether or not Nesmith can do so throughout an entire season and into the playoffs.
If Nesmith can show Ime Udoka he’s capable of carrying the Celts’ shooting load in training camp; he might be able to earn himself a spot in the Boston Celtics starting five this upcoming season.
Boston Celtics PF Juan Hernangomez
Next up on the list of potential surprise starters is Juancho Hernangomez. A few days ago, the Boston Celtics snatched the Spaniard from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and a future second-round pick. A quaint package, but don’t let that take away from what Hernangomez can provide.
At six-foot-nine, 214lbs, Hernangomez will be competing for the Celtics’ backup or starting power-forward slot. Usually, Jayson Tatum takes up the responsibility of power-forward, but between Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Sam Hauser, and Juancho Hernangomez, there may be some wiggle room for him to play small forward.
If Udoka is willing to experiment with some lineups playing Tatum at the three and Brown at the two, Hernangomez could be the perfect candidate to slide into the starting lineup.
His shooting, extra passing, and rim pressure would all bode well next to the Jays and whichever center Udoka decides to start. Hernangomez’s skill sets are so portable that he’s compatible with anyone the Boston Celtics will throw out there with him, making him the perfect candidate to be a sleeper starter for Bean Town.
Boston Celtics SG/SF Sam Hauser
The last surprise starter on this list is Sam Hauser. I know it sounds weird putting two power-forwards on this list, but given that the Celtics will likely be starting two below-average to non-shooters in Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, it would be in the Cs’ best interest to cram as many shooters into the Celts’ starting lineup as they can. Hauser fits the glove, and he has some more positional versatility compared to Hernangomez.
Tatum and Hauser can function as complimentary wings compared to Hernangomez due to Hauser’s superior shooting and mobility. I am not trying to insinuate that Hauser’s defense is moving the needle, but rather that he’s a much quicker force that defenses will bend to defend.
Hauser’s superior trigger and comfortability maneuvering around pin-downs and screens gives me cause to believe he would be the ideal front-court mate to Tatum and Williams.
The only downside to Hauser is he is a rookie on a two-way contract. Those kinds of players rarely get slotted into starting lineups for contenders because of how unproven they are. Hauser will have to have the training camp of his life to get inserted into the Boston Celtics’ starting lineup, but I believe in him and his ability to impact the Celts positively.