3 takeaways from the Boston Celtics revenge win in Detroit

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 3) Ime Udoka prefers an eight-man rotation

In recent games, first-year head coach Ime Udoka has deployed a variety of lineups. In games where Marcus Smart or Rob Williams III were absent, Aaron Nesmith and Daniel Theis earned more minutes.

However, Saturday’s win showed that the coach is more than okay with sticking to his top eight players. When Theis was acquired from the Rockets, it was assumed he would need some time to get ready to play, considering he was sitting on Houston’s bench.

The 6-9 German has been used sparingly since his return to Beantown. It remains to be seen if this is part of the Celtic’s return-to-play-plan for Theis or just a preference of Udoka.

There have been countless occasions where Ime has chosen to stick with just the eight-man rotation rather than to reach deeper down the bench. This is not a promising sign for Nesmith or Theis, both of who are hungry for more action.

If Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard produce anywhere close to how they did Saturday on a consistent basis, Udoka has no real reason to stray away from this rotation.

For now, it seems Nesmith is out of the rotation unless there is an injury. Daniel Theis could face the same fate, even though the Celtics spent a decent price to acquire him.

Whichever direction Udoka decides to head in, one thing remains clear; he is a good coach. Udoka has stayed the course and has been able to right the ship, as Boston continues their month of near perfection.