The Celtics will enter their regular-season finale on Sunday night against the Magic without most of their key rotation players. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Neemias Queta, and Derrick White were all ruled out on Saturday, and Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Nikola Vucevic, and Hugo Gonzalez were all downgraded to out on Sunday afternoon.
That's almost the entire rotation getting a well-deserved rest, and fans will get an extended, and well-deserved, look at the stay-ready crew. But there are still a few Celtics who will be suiting up on Sunday that may well factor into the playoff rotation next weekend, and Sunday marks their final chance to make that case to Joe Mazzulla and his staff.
Scheierman, Walsh, and Garza should get playoff minutes
The two main candidates for minutes in the postseason who will be in action are Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh. Scheierman especially feels like he has already earned a spot in the rotation and could be involved in the closing unit on any given night.
Walsh was a huge part of the rotation early in the season, but fell out for a bit before making a late surge in the last couple of weeks. Walsh’s size and defense can be huge for the Celtics, and if he can knock down open threes and defend without fouling, there will likely be some opportunities for him.
The other guy who seems like he has a real shot is Luka Garza, who had a stranglehold on the backup center duties before Vucevic arrived. Vooch has looked a lot better recently, but I have some doubts about him holding up in the playoffs, and the team may be better served with the younger, more energetic Garza.
By now, I trust that Joe and his staff have a good handle on the roster, and they aren’t going to drastically change their playoff rotation based on one game with half the team sitting out. But at the same time, it would be nice to see those three go out on Sunday, in bigger roles than usual, and rise to the occasion.
Celtics players with chance to impress against likely playoff opponent
It’s their final chance to make an impression, and if they go out and play well - very possibly against the team that Boston will face in round one - that should matter. The Magic need to win for a chance at the 6-seed, and to at least secure homecourt for the 7/8 play-in game, so they’ll be going full tilt.
For Boston, Baylor, Walsh, and Hugo will lead the charge. Making one final statement shouldn’t matter more than the 81-game sample we’ve already had, but one closing message certainly can’t hurt either.
While they may not be fighting for a spot in the playoff rotation, it’s also a great opportunity for Ron Harper Jr., Amari Williams, Max Shulga, John Tonje, and Dalano Banton. There’s certainly a chance that one of them could have their name called next week, and Sunday marks a chance to prove they’ll be ready.