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Boston Celtics starter set to lose playing time upon key injury return

By Andrew Hughes

One Boston Celtics starter is about to have his minutes cut in half upon the return of a key frontcourt rotation piece later this month Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
One Boston Celtics starter is about to have his minutes cut in half upon the return of a key frontcourt rotation piece later this month Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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Once the Boston Celtics get back their starting center, the man admirably stepping in to fill the role will be losing significant playing time — though said stand-in center won’t be losing his starting spot.

Al Horford, who is averaging just under 32 minutes per game this season, will be getting his minutes cut significantly once Robert Williams III is activated following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

MassLive’s Brian Robb relayed as much during his latest Celtics Mailbag, answering a question from a reader about Joe Mazzulla’s general trend of playing his starters heavy minutes in the early going season:

"“Finding the right balance there between keeping (the starters) happy and preserving them for the big picture matters. Al Horford’s 31.6 minutes per game is probably the most concerning number but I expect that to come down a lot once Rob Williams is back in the fold.”"

The Boston Celtics have built confidence in their bench

The absence of Robert Williams III in the early going this season could do serious wonders for the long-term health of the Boston Celtics second unit. Blake Griffin, a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency center, is providing Daniel Theis-level contributions on a minimum deal. Derrick White and Grant Williams have gained confidence from being a stand-in starter on more frequent occasions as well.

‘The Timelord’ will likely come off the bench at first, giving more lineup combinations experience playing with each other — an important development when adjusting on the fly to matchups becomes of the utmost importance.

With Al Horford re-signed for the next two years, beginning to transition him into an eventual bench role will be the smartest thing to do for Joe Mazzulla, who at this pace will receive a multi-year extension himself barring a postseason collapse before the conference finals. The current interim Cs head coach can relish in the roster he has at his disposal, one he has nearly mastered even without one of the key pieces.

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