May 30, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half of game four in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Celtics (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The message all summer long for the Boston Celtics has been simple: build around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In only his first summer as president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens didn’t take long to shake up the roster.
Here is a recap of the moves and signings Brad Stevens and the Celtics have made so far:
Celtics Get
Kris Dunn
Bruno Fernando
2023 second-round pick
Hawks Get
Delon Wright
Kings Get
Tristan Thompson
Celtics Get
Josh Richardson
Mavericks Get
Moses Brown
Free Agent Signings:
Enes Kanter- one year, $2.7 million (veteran minimum)
Dennis Schroder- one year, $5.9 million (tax-payer mid-level exception)
The Boston Celtics have had a roster overhaul in hopes of making a return to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
While the Celtics seem to be much improved for the upcoming season, there is a sense that the moves made this offseason are putting the team in green in prime position to have a max slot open when 2022-23 free agency comes around next summer.
Depth and defense were the focal points this offseason, all while maintaining cap flexibility. The plan thus far has been perfectly executed by Stevens.
Nonetheless, the Celtics will be competitive in the here and now with a roster that is more polished top to bottom than rosters they have had in years past.
There are certainly options for the first-year head coach Ime Udoka to tinker with and find what combinations work best around the Jays.
With a plethora of players to choose from, let’s dive into the way too early predictions for what the Boston Celtics starting five may look like come opening night.
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Mavericks Get</div> <div class="info">Moses Brown</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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<p><strong>Free Agent Signings: </strong></p>
<p>Enes Kanter- one year, $2.7 million (veteran minimum)</p>
<p>Dennis Schroder- one year, $5.9 million (tax-payer mid-level exception)</p>
<h2>The Boston Celtics have had a roster overhaul in hopes of making a return to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.</h2>
<p>While the Celtics seem to be much improved for the upcoming season, there is a sense that the moves made this offseason are putting the team in green in prime position to have a max slot open when 2022-23 free agency comes around next summer.</p>
<p>Depth and defense were the focal points this offseason, all while maintaining cap flexibility. The plan thus far has been perfectly executed by Stevens.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the Celtics will be competitive in the here and now with a roster that is more polished top to bottom than rosters they have had in years past.</p>
<p>There are certainly options for the first-year head coach Ime Udoka to tinker with and find what combinations work best around the Jays.</p>
<p>With a plethora of players to choose from, let’s dive into the way too early predictions for what the Boston Celtics starting five may look like come opening night.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The back-court </a>
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<img class="wp-image-434318 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1320674016.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320674016.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320674016-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Boston Celtics (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Point guard: Marcus Smart</h2>
<p>The heart and soul of the Boston Celtics is getting the keys to the offense from Ime Udoka. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Marcus Smart </a>started his career as the spark plug off the bench and now finds himself with the duties of being a playmaker.</p>
<p>Udoka recently stated how <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://twitter.com/briantrobb/status/1425249090976182275?s=10%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smart has been asking for this opportunity</a>, and that they are going to make it a point to put the basketball in his hands and let him take control of the game.</p>
<p>Confidence is something that the 7-year guard doesn’t lack, not in the slightest, and that is something that has come to hurt the Celtics at times with Smart’s erratic shot selection.</p>
<p>Although he takes some shots that may leave fans shaking their heads at times, Smart also comes up with the hustle plays that keep fans wanting more from him.</p>
<p>For this to work, Smart needs to buy into his new role. The longest-tenured Celtic averaged a career-best 5.7 assists per game, an average the team is hoping Smart can eclipse as the full-time starting point guard.</p>
<p>A move to point guard doesn’t mean Smart won’t still find shots for himself within the offense. He has shown to be a respectable three-point shooter, with a career average of 32 percent from deep, and will certainly still have lots of spot-up opportunities and chances to create for himself.</p>
<p>Udoka wants Brown and Tatum, and essentially the team as a whole, to be better overall playmakers. The focus on Smart will be to initiate offense and be a playmaker first, scorer second.</p>
<p>You could make the case for newly-acquired Dennis Schroder to take the reins of starting at the point and push Smart to the two-guard spot, but in terms of chemistry and overall fit, Smart makes the most sense next to Jaylen and Jayson. Schroder will have more opportunities to thrive and build his value with the second unit as the sixth man.</p>
<p>Some may question the move to have Smart as the lead guard, but this is a position he saw most of his playing time at last season due to the absence of Kemba Walker.</p>
<p>Smart has never fully been entrusted with the role of being a starting point guard in the NBA, but now it is time to prove his worth at that position.</p>
<h2>Shooting guard: Aaron Nesmith</h2>
<p>This may be the most surprising prediction and one that some may not have considered when predicting what the Celtics will throw out on opening night.</p>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nesmiaa01.html" ref="nofollow">Aaron Nesmith</a> didn’t come into his own until the latter half of last season. Early on Nesmith couldn’t find the ocean and wasn’t getting consistent enough minutes to find a rhythm.</p>
<p>The flip switched for the rookie in late April when he became a crunch-time player and a consistent shooter on catch and shoot opportunities. There were even times when the Celtics were running off-ball action for Nesmith where he had the opportunity to make the read of taking the shot, driving and kicking, or taking it right to the rim and proving he was a decent finisher at the cup.</p>
<p>Nesmith isn’t the flashiest of names the Celtics could start at the shooting guard, but he brings two great traits to the table: hustle and shooting.</p>
<p>With the departure of Evan Fournier in free agency, the Celtics lose the potential spot-up shooting threat that Fournier was on a nightly basis for Boston.</p>
<p>Nesmith shot 37 percent from deep last season on just 2.7 attempts per game. These are numbers that should be expected to go up in a more defined role for the sharpshooter in year two.</p>
<p>He is more than capable of shooting north of 40 percent from three on 5-6 attempts per game.</p>
<p>We have seen flashes of what Nesmith is capable of in Summer League, especially in his most recent 33-point outburst on 7-9 shooting from deep.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/MlMvlAAbjtw?start=1&feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Defensively is where Nesmith will have to win this starting spot. His flaws on this end of the floor were the main reason he didn’t earn consistent minutes to start last season.</p>
<p>You could easily throw Josh Richardson into this spot, a proven defender, but his offense hasn’t been as consistent since his days in South Beach. If Nesmith can become a good team defender and show that he is capable of being on the floor in late-game situations, he has a good chance as anyone to earn this spot.</p>
<p>Nesmith isn’t someone who will take shots away from your two main scorers. He will know his role and do all of the little things to prove he belongs on the floor.</p>
<p>With a defensive-minded point guard in Marcus Smart, Nesmith could be the perfect sharpshooting pairing to be the team’s glue-piece fifth starter.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The frontcourt </a>
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<img class="wp-image-421484 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1200,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1230284741.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1200" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1230284741.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1230284741-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Boston Celtics (Photo by Brian Fluharty-Pool/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Forwards: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum</h2>
<p>These were the two obvious locks for the Celtics starting lineup. Rather than split the two up, let’s talk about the Jays as a duo and what they can do together to make the Celtics a better overall unit.</p>
<p>Well, first thing’s first, let’s just remind everyone that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are great friends:</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr">…… <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://t.co/sUvrp9MsWA">pic.twitter.com/sUvrp9MsWA
<p>— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://twitter.com/FCHWPO/status/1424324052357840903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 8, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>This was certainly a great reminder for fans and those around the league that questioned the chemistry between the two young stars. Off the court, relationships can certainly affect how players play with one another. Safe to say that this won’t be an issue for Boston to worry about.</p>
<p>Ime Udoka has described Brown and Tatum as “two young pillars” and building blocks for what the Celtics ultimately hope to accomplish.</p>
<p>Jaylen and Jayson are two great individual offensive talents who have both expanded their offensive repertoires and have showcased a wide range of shot-creating abilities.</p>
<p>Scoring will not be the issue for either player, it is the playmaking of both Jaylen and Jayson that must improve.</p>
<p>Good players can score, great players can score and make others around them better. Both averaged career bests in assists last season with Tatum posting 4.3 per game and Brown not too far behind with 3.4 per game.</p>
<p>With a lack of trustworthy options on the roster last season, both Tatum and Brown elected to clear out and go iso for a majority of possessions.</p>
<p>Udoka made an emphasis on preaching team basketball in his opening press conference in July. The Celtics ranked 27th in assists last season. The Jays can change that by becoming better and willing playmakers.</p>
<p>They can also change their fortunes defensively if they are willing to buy in on that end of the floor. There is no question the abilities and potential both have as two-way players in this league, it is a matter of putting it all together and giving effort on that end of the floor on a nightly basis.</p>
<p>Leading by example could be the difference between having the entire roster buying into their roles. The Jays have a lot on their shoulders, but there aren’t two players more fitted to do so for the Boston Celtics.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The center spot </a>
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<img class="wp-image-434323 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1135854760.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1135854760.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1135854760-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Boston Celtics (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Center: Center-by-Committee (Al Horford and Robert Williams)</h2>
<p>The center position is a wild-card for the Celtics. We saw mid-way through last season <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/williro04.html" ref="nofollow">Robert Williams</a> get thrust into the starting lineup where he proved to be a versatile player as a shot-blocker, rim-runner, and even a playmaker in the high post.</p>
<p>We also saw the Celtics add a familiar face this summer in <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/horfoal01.html" ref="nofollow">Al Horford</a> when he was traded back to the east coast in exchange for Kemba Walker and the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.</p>
<p>Many thought Horford’s career was on a downward spiral, but he proved in just 28 games before being shut down by the Thunder (tanking reasons) that he still has a lot left to offer, averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on .450/.368 shooting splits.</p>
<p>Two starting-caliber centers on the roster with only one starting spot. With this dilemma, the route the Celtics could go is a center-by-committee approach.</p>
<p>Williams has worked on a mid-range jump shot, but he will find a majority of his offensive opportunities in the paint. He has flashed great vision and is a player who keeps the ball moving within the flow of the offense.</p>
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<p>Horford can be more of a floor-spacer and spot-up shooter in the corners. Horford is also a willing playmaker who is always a read ahead of others on the floor.</p>
<p>Defensively both are as solid as you could ask for. Williams is a high-flying shot-blocker who can protect the paint with the best of them. Horford is going to give you versatility on switches and can defend nearly every position when needed.</p>
<p>The Celtics can really go about this by deciding how they want their starting unit to play and also switch things up depending on who they play against.</p>
<p>Horford may be better suited for a matchup with someone like Joel Embiid while Robert Williams may thrive in a matchup against Clint Capela.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t even be surprising to see Ime Udoka throw out a lineup with Horford at the four and Williams at the five. They certainly should give every lineup combination a fair shot to find out what makes them the most successful team they can be.</p>
<p>It may be best to have Robert Williams come off the bench to prevent injuries, something that has been an unfortunate constant for the young big man. The same could also be said about Horford, who is entering his age-35 season.</p>
<p>Both will be focal points to Boston’s success this season and both will be impactful no matter the role they receive as a starter or reserve.</p>
<p>As Brad Stevens once said, “It shouldn’t matter who starts, it shouldn’t matter who plays, it shouldn’t matter who finishes, it matters if you win. That’s it.”</p>
<p>The Celtics are looking to get back to their winning ways, and Ime Udoka will put the lineup out on the floor that does just that.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA free agency: The 5 biggest steals so far" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/14/boston-celtics-starting-lineup/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA free agency: The 5 biggest steals so far </a> </div>
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