As the Boston Celtics get ready to make a run at a second straight title, the team looks identical to the one that was victorious four months ago. In fact, the only two pieces missing are Oshaew Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk, both of whom were replaced by rookies. That doesn’t leave much room for new faces in the rotation.
Well, there isn’t much space for change regarding complete newcomers (Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson), but the Celtics’ night-to-night lineup isn’t going to be identical. There are going to be a ton of moving parts, and the preseason revealed plenty about who could play more and who could play less.
With that in mind, here are three Celtics players who will see a boost in minutes this season and three who could play less.
Boost - Xavier Tillman
When Xavier Tillman joined the Celtics at the trade deadline last year, the big-man rotation was solidified. Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford were doing most of the heavy lifting, and Luke Kornet filled in when needed.
This year, things could look very different. Porzingis is going to miss significant time, and Tillman displayed the ability to play the four and the five during the preseason.
Add on the fact that his three-point shot looks legit, and he will almost certainly see a huge boost in minutes this season, especially during the regular season.
Less - Al Horford
The cheap answer here would be Porzingis, but that’s far too obvious. Of course he’s going to play less. He’s out to start the year. The still-obvious but less silly answer is Horford.
Heading into his 18th NBA season, Horford should get as much rest as possible during the regular season. He sat out four of Boston’s five preseason games, so the outline is there for him to sit a lot.
With how well Tillman and Kornet looked during the preseason, it’s not hard to imagine the Celtics giving Horford some extra rest throughout the year.
Boost - Luke Kornet
Speaking of Kornet, the big man could see the most minutes of his Celtics career this year, and not just because Porzingis will be sidelined for a couple of months.
Yes, Porzingis being out will help Kornet play regularly, but Boston clearly trusts him. Nobody should be surprised if he plays the most out of the bench bigs.
Kornet could be a semi-regular starter, too, depending on Horford’s status, and the Celtics seem fine with him playing extended minutes.
Less - Jrue Holiday
Everybody talks about Horford getting up there in age, but Jrue Holiday is already 34 years old. Fresh off a summer with Team USA, the Celtics may look to keep Holiday fresh rather than wear him down.
Holiday doesn’t seem like the type of player who would want to sit out for rest purposes, but keeping him healthy for the playoffs should be Boston’s top priority.
Considering Holiday sat out the Celtics’ final preseason game, the writing may already be on the wall fo r him to take some breaks throughout the regular season.
Boost - Jordan Walsh
After Jordan Walsh’s subpar performance at Summer League, there were questions of whether or not he could be a bust. Well, he answered those questions in the preseason.
Walsh looked awesome during the Celtics’ five-game preseason slate. He was so awesome, in fact, that there’s a chance he could see some regular-season minutes this season.
During his rookie campaign, Walsh was completely out of the rotation, but this year, there’s a chance he could soak up some of the minutes Brissett and Mykhailiuk left behind.
Less - Jayson Tatum
This is the last player fans think of when considering who could play fewer minutes, but it could be smart for the Celtics to be careful with Jayson Tatum.
Just like Holiday and Derrick White, Tatum just played with Team USA all summer, and if they want to ensure his health for the postseason, making him rest a few nights could be useful.
Tatum hates to sit out, so it may be hard to convince him to take nights off, but even if it’s a matter of playing fewer minutes per game, some extra rest could be nice.