The Boston Celtics will be starting a surprising fifth man tonight. In fact, it’s so surprising that this man wasn’t even on the Houdini’s radar when trying to project the mystery man in the starting five given Al Horford’s absence.
Grant Williams–not Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, or Dennis Schroder–will be lining up beside Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Robert Williams when the ball is tipped off at the onset of tonight’s opener against the New York Knicks.
What could this mean for the Cs starting lineup moving forward?
The Boston Celtics have plans of starting Al Horford at the PF position
It appears as though first-year head coach Ime Udoka is opting to keep his rotations intact as much as possible while Horford remains absent due to the NBA’s COVID Health and Safety protocols:
Udoka says starting lineup could change once Al Horford, who is out with COVID-19, is able to return. Besides saying Horford is feeling well, there isn’t an update on his timeline to return. https://t.co/KDVjzgdqgz
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 20, 2021
Of course, Williams could blow his audition out of the water and continue being a glove fit with the Cs core players to the point of nuking this plans altogether.
His 3-point shot was much improved last season even if the second unit struggled as a whole in his sophomore season. Then again, he was playing with two rookies and was part of a lineup that constantly shuffled guys in and out due to injuries and COVID-19.
Maybe he’ll stick, but Williams is more likely a placeholder for Horford in the starting five until he returns.