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Boston Celtics: A Look At The Rotation

By Eric Laboissonniere

Oct 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) looks to run the ball up court during the second half of the Boston Celtics 99-85 win over the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) looks to run the ball up court during the second half of the Boston Celtics 99-85 win over the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coach Brad Stevens has messed around with many different rotations during the Boston Celtics‘ preseason stint. He has made the backcourt picture pretty clear by playing Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley as starters because he still thinks that Isaiah Thomas is much better coming off the bench to provide an offensive spark. Stevens has stuck with Jae Crowder at the small forward for the most of the preseason, but the frontcourt is where the rotation starts to get a little tricky. Stevens has thrown out many different lineups including Tyler Zeller, David Lee, Amir Johnson, and Kelly Olynyk. Stevens has also mixed Jared Sullinger into the rotation as well during preseason, but what players will see their minutes decline or be out of the rotation when the season starts?

Backcourt and wing rotation

Coach Stevens loves when Smart and Bradley are both on the floor together because they are animals on the defensive end and Smart is particularly relentless on both ends of the floor. Thomas will also be a big part of backcourt rotation, but after that is where Stevens will probably start making tougher decisions for the backcourt.

R.J. Hunter and Terry Rozier have been showing that they are ready to help the Celtics this season on both ends of the floor. Hunter has shown so far that he has such a high basketball IQ, and Rozier has shown his fiery defense and that he can be somewhat of a playmaker off the bench on the offensive end.

Stevens is going to find a way to mix both in the rotation because the Celtics need shooting and Hunter can really shoot, and Rozier has shown that he can contribute on both ends of the floor. Rozier is proving to doubters that he might have been the right pick at No. 16, and teams are wishing they did not pass on Hunter. It is too early to see if these rookies are actually for real because it is preseason but they have shown that they are ready for the NBA in multiple instances.

On the wing as a small forward for the Celtics, Crowder, Evan Turner, maybe Jonas Jerebko, and possibly James Young will see some time. Crowder and Turner played a lot of minutes for the Celtics last season. Crowder will probably play the most minutes on the wing this season because he is a lockdown defender and he is starting to find his groove on the offensive end for the team.

Turner is a great mid-range scorer and facilitator, but the Celtics need Turner to be more reliable on defense and a more reliable three-point shooter. Jerebko probably will not play many minutes for the Celtics next season because the frontcourt is too loaded, and Turner and Crowder will take up a majority of the minutes for the team on the wing.

Jerebko will come in sometimes to provide some three-point shooting, but that is about it. He will not be a big part of the rotation. Young has also showed some signs during the preseason that he has improved after his rookie season, and maybe coach Stevens will give Young a shot to score and help out the team, but he probably will not play very much as well.

Frontcourt rotation 

The Celtics have made some big additions to their frontcourt for this upcoming season, and for that reason some players that have played big minutes for the Celtics last year in the frontcourt might be out of the rotation. Lee, Zeller, and Johnson will play the most minutes in the frontcourt for the Celtics this season. The other frontcourt players are going to fight for playing time, particularly Jared Sullinger and Olynyk. Sullinger or Olynyk has to be the odd man out for the Celtics in the frontcourt rotation, along with Jordan Mickey who will not play very much in his rookie season.

Down the stretch, Stevens is going to mess with many different frontcourt pairs, and in the end, he is probably going to take it day by day at the start of the season until a pair gets into a fine rhythm. Do not be surprised, if Stevens changes frontcourt pairs often depending on who they are playing against because the Celtics do not want to get out-rebounded like they did last season in many games.

Overall

There are going to be many new lineups tested during the season, and watch for key players from last year’s playoff team to maybe see a decline in rotation minutes because the Celtics have brought in some big additions and drafted some NBA ready rookies.

Much has changed from this time last year; a preseason lottery team is now an almost mortal playoff lock that can make some noise in the postseason. Welcome to the 2015-2016 NBA season.

Next: Every NBA Franchise's Mount Rushmore

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