Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks: Lineups, Key Matchups, Prediction
By John Canady
The NBA offseason was filled with blockbuster moves and a lot of rumors. Among the many teams that made big deals this season, the Boston Celtics were one of them.
Boston reconstructed their roster after last season’s heartbreaking Eastern Conference Finals outing in the postseason and entered the year as early betting favorites to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.
As for New York, Scott Perry and Tom Thibodeau elected to run it back with nearly the same Knicks roster from last season, aside from a few minor additions like Donte DiVincenzo.
Regardless of each team’s offseason moves, it always seems that the Knicks and Celtics match up well when they square off. With both teams looking to start the season off with a statement win, Wednesday night’s showdown should be an entertaining game to watch.
Potential Starting Lineups
While a team’s opening-night starting lineups don’t always mean anything, it’s definitely an interesting topic and a heavy debate leading up to the first game. And with the Celtics’ recent additions, Joe Mazzulla has been reluctant to name a starting five throughout the preseason.
Nonetheless, while all we can do is speculate, here’s how both teams’ starting lineups could look on opening night.
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
- Derrick White
- Jrue Holiday
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Kristaps Porzingis
New York Knicks Starting Lineup
- Jalen Brunson
- Quentin Grimes
- RJ Barrett
- Julius Randle
- Mitchell Robinson
On paper, the Boston Celtics arguably have the most talented starting lineup in the league. However, it’s fair to think Boston may face some challenges while the team works to build chemistry with their revamped roster. Fortunately for Celtics fans, Boston didn’t show any signs in the preseason that chemistry would be an issue as their new core seemed to hit the ground running.
On the other hand, the Knicks roster doesn’t strike you with flashy names aside from Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, but the team has more than solid role players to fill out the lineup. If RJ Barrett continues to develop like he’s done yearly since entering the league, the Knicks could be a team to watch in the East this season. Not to mention the team’s continuity within the lineup entering opening night could play in their favor on the court.