Everyone's keeping their eyes peeled for who will round out the Boston Celtics' starting lineup this season. The sure things are Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Paul George. The center spot would surely be between Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, but that fifth starter was anyone's guess.
Maybe it would be the newly extended Payton Pritchard, but no one knows for sure. However, Boston just revealed their starting lineup against Charlotte that seems telling: Tatum, White, George, Robinson, and Jordan Walsh. Why is that so intriguing? Because that's the same starting lineup they had in their previous game against Philadelphia.
Boston is so deep that really anyone could start for them besides their trio of Tatum, White, and George, but while Mazzulla is definitely mixing and matching who works best with whom, it seems like he may have his mind set on Robinson and Walsh as the other two starters.
There's nothing really wrong with that. It's just that many anticipated that maybe he'd use the few preseason games he has to see what works and what doesn't. That is what he's doing, but starting those five for straight games feels like a confirmation.
Why those five though?
It's not a surprise that Robinson may wind up getting the starting job over Queta, even if he has a reputation for being injury-prone. Walsh is the more interesting choice. He is among Boston's most athletic defenders, is good at cutting to the basket, and has some promise as a floor spacer. He's not as offensively savvy as some of their options, but maybe Boston thinks that's why he fits next to some of those guys.
We have to remember that forcing turnovers is one of the key (and newest) wrinkles of Mazzulla Ball. Walsh may be limited offensively, but his bringing that facet to this five could be the key to Boston building up massive leads by restricting how many possessions Boston's opponents get.
It's not like anyone would or should have a problem with Walsh in the starting lineup. He just wouldn't have been their first choice as the fifth starter. Even if he isn't exactly preferred, Mazzulla deserves the benefit of the doubt.
The best part about having so many choices to pick from is that even if it goes wrong, it's not like it would affect the season much. Starting Walsh is not the wrong answer, but rather an unorthodox one.
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