Boston Celtics: “Hot or Not” on 3 of C’s top roster battles

Boston Celtics battle No. 3) Starting center

All offseason long, the biggest question Boston Celtics fans have been finding themselves asking in regard to the team’s starting rotation in 2021-22 is who will wind up being the starting center?

To kick off their summer of transactions, in his first move as President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens opted to trade Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for former Cs starting big, Al Horford who, in 2020-21, proved he still has what it takes to produce at a high-impact level in this league.

Though upon his return to eastern Massachusetts it was perceived that he’d be coming in to swiftly secure the pivot, a few short months later fellow big man, Robert Williams inked himself a rather lucrative contract extension with the franchise worth $54 million over four season.

What front office would shell out this kind of dough if they weren’t expecting the player to develop into a long-term fixture within the rotation?

Because of this, many are under the impression that there will be an open competition for the starting five during training camp, and Buckley believes it’ll be a must-watch:

"Williams needs to round out his game and unlock the keys to consistency. If it’s a bumpier road than expected, Boston doesn’t have to live with the growing pains. The Celtics brought back Al Horford this summer, and he has always played with precision and smarts. The Texas A&M product feels like he should have the inside track given his potential and commitment from the club, but if he wobbles at all during camp, Horford can close the gap in a hurry."

Though I personally believe the best move for this team, at least to start the year, would be to slot Horford in down low to close out the starting lineup, there’s clearly a strong argument to be made that Williams is equally as deserving of consideration (9.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 blocks on 70.5 percent shooting while also registering a record of 10-3 during his 13 starts last season).

No matter which option the coaching staff opts to go with, the battle between now and game one will be a fun one to monitor.

Verdict: Hot