Prominent Boston Celtics analyst Bill Simmons recently gave his take on this year's team. Simmons made it clear he feels good about the Celtics' chances of outperforming expectations, and floated the idea of them running a small ball lineup in crunch time that could throw their opponents off.
"I really like the guards. I think the guards are going to be a problem in crunch time," Simmons said. "Pritchard, Simons, White, all together with Jaylen and one big and they just go super small, Indiana style. And I think teams are going to be like, 'what is this?'"
It's obvious that the Celtics are going to have to do something different this year with the makeup of the roster so drastically different from how it's been in the past. Rolling out a lineup like this would certainly have the chance to throw teams off and succeed because of how it can utilize speed, spacing, and unpredictability.
"Mazzulla Ball" isn't going to die out just because a few key guys left the roster over the summer. Boston isn't going to be able to boast as much size as they have in recent years, but they can still execute a high-octane offensive approach and get a lot of quality three-point attempts up with a group like this.
Pushing the pace and out-shooting opponents could work for the Celtics
The issue of overall top to bottom depth still exists with this roster. But I would say the aforementioned group of five, whatever center option you want to go with, is still going to be a solid bet for the Celtics to have a lot of shot creation, defensive ability on the perimeter, and shooting range on the floor at the end of a close game.
White can serve as your classical point of attack defender, picking up the opposing team's best guard on defense. Simons is obviously going to bring elite three-level scoring ability and spacing, while Pritchard is going to do what he does, moving off ball and putting himself in a perfect position to catch and shoot.
In this scenario, Jaylen is obviously your go-to scoring option while the rest of the guys provide spacing and playmaking help. Boston's biggest problem with this group as with any is going to be rebounding, but there's a world where they can minimize the impact of that issue by having a group like this on the floor to score in bunches.
Going five-out isn't always going to be the most realistic or effective option with this roster, but the Celtics may frequently find themselves in positions this year where running these five players makes a lot of sense. Boston has the talent to over-perform in 2025-26, and playing in a fast Indiana style like Simmons suggests could pay dividends.