‘There is no scenario’ Boston Celtics would bench All-NBA defender in playoffs

During the latest Celtics Mailbag from MassLive’s Brian Robb, the possibility of the Boston Celtics benching Marcus Smart for Derrick White — something that was pitched by a reader because of the apparent rough fit the two have when sharing the floor — was shut down entirely.

“While it’s certainly debatable whether Smart should be playing crunch time minutes in some situation over White or Brogdon, there is no scenario I see this postseason when Smart comes off the bench,” Robb wrote. “Joe Mazzulla has shown more trust in him than any guard at the roster to this point and that won’t change as the stakes improve.”

Robb said that the most likely scenario is Mazzulla rolling the dice on Smart overcoming his post-All-Star break malaise during the postseason when play slows down. “The best hope to have is that Smart finds the best version of himself for the playoffs, something that has started to trend better in the past few games after a brutal start to the post All-Star Break,” Robb said.

Derrick White’s fit with Marcus Smart on Boston Celtics better than it appears

As Robb pointed out, the backcourt fit between Smart and White is actually better than what many see it as.

“The raw numbers with White and Smart together with the starters have actually been quite impressive this year,” Robb wrote. “They are a big step up from the Brogdon/Smart numbers which have not fared well particularly in crunch time situations. I think White/Smart play together a lot to help the Celtics get their best role guys on the floor more.”

When the postseason comes around, the rotation is likely to shrink — but two players whose minutes will likely skyrocket are Smart and White. Malcolm Brogdon figures to be the next guard getting the most minutes, but as Robb says, it may be best to stagger his and Smart’s minutes due to a more awkward fit than any other guard combination set to receive big minutes in the playoffs.