New Celtics starting lineup could be in play next season

BRIGHTON — Last year, the Boston Celtics starting lineup almost always looked the same. When Kristaps Porzingis was healthy, they rolled with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and the Latvian big man. When Porzingis was out, Al Horford took his place in the first five.

In Boston’s first two preseason games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, Horford didn’t play. That left room for Luke Kornet to occupy the starting lineup, and he looked great. Kornet fit in perfectly with the rest of the starting unit, setting solid screens, holding his own on defense, and working well out of the short roll.

He looked so good that it brought up questions of whether or not he could be a regular starter.

Joe Mazzulla is open to new starting lineups

At practice on Thursday, Joe Mazzulla was asked whether or not there had been any thought given to keeping Horford on the bench in favor of Kornet while Porzingis is out.

“Yeah, there are thoughts of doing whatever makes sense for the team,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, he's [Horford] been great for us both coming off the bench and starting, so we just have to make a decision/ Whatever we think is best for the team at the time, we'll do. And it's a credit to him that he's open-minded enough to know that. He'll just do whatever's best for the team.”

At 38 years old, Horford isn’t getting any younger. He’s entering the final few years of his career, and one of Boston’s top priorities is keeping him healthy.

Ever since he re-joined the team in 2021, they’ve been holding him out of the second night of back-to-backs in an attempt to prevent injuries, and that will undoubtedly be the case this year.

Having Kornet start in his place on some nights could be another way to mitigate potential bumps, bruises, and ailments throughout the course of a long 82-game season.

That said, it was a huge deal when Horford began coming off the bench last season in favor of Porzingis, so seeing him do so for Kornet would be a bit of a shock.

The Celtics have a quality backup big-man rotation with Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta. All three seem more than ready to fill in the gaps for Horford and Porzingis as they get load-managed during the year.

And while Mazzulla seems open to the idea, Horford should still be expected to be the Celtics’ every-night starter this season.