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Boston Celtics: 3 Things To Watch For On Opening Night

By Jeremy Gottlieb

Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk look set for more consistent minutes and a bigger role in the Celtics' offense. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk look set for more consistent minutes and a bigger role in the Celtics' offense. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Opening night has finally arrived. The Boston Celtics are set to begin their 2015-16 season with a visit from the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. It will be a while before we know if the optimism surrounding this year’s Celtics will or won’t be warranted. So for now, let’s take a look at the opening night matchup with the Sixers and to what we should be paying close attention.

The big men: Try not to read too much into anything coach Brad Stevens does with his big man rotation against the Sixers. Without Kelly Olynyk, who will serve his suspension for rag dolling Kevin Love in Game 4 of the Cavs-Celts first round series last spring.

Jared Sullinger will play meaningful minutes in this one and unless he goes for 35 and 20, that will probably change come Friday night when the Raptors hit TD Garden. Still, it will probably be at least somewhat instructive to see how much run Amir Johnson gets, particularly if Stevens sticks with the same starting lineup he used to close out the preseason. Which leads us to …

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The bench: It’s not set in stone but all signs point to David Lee and Tyler Zeller comprising the starting frontcourt along with Jae Crowder at the 3 and Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley as the two starting guards.

The power of deduction then states that Johnson will join Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner as the primary bench unit, with Sullinger (likely to be replaced by Olynyk come Friday) and R.J. Hunter and maybe Terry Rozier seeing some floor time.

The Celtics were far more dynamic with Thomas in the game post-trade deadline last year and having Lee, a gifted scorer and offensive player in the starting lineup, adds a different dimension to how the Celtics can attack opponents. Stevens always says that who is out there to finish the game matters more than who starts it, bringing us to …

Crunch time: Maybe the Celtics will blow Philly out and it won’t matter but you can bet that we’ll learn a lot from who is out there late in a close game. Count on Thomas, Crowder and probably Johnson. After that, who knows?

Bradley’s shooting and Smart’s defense and aggressiveness make each a strong candidate to see crunch time minutes, especially if the Celts go small and play Crowder at the 4.

Or you might see Lee, who could be a go-to guy on the block when the C’s need big percentage offense, in the game instead of Smart or Bradley or perhaps even Johnson (doubtful, though – Johnson feels like he’s going to be given the chance to be the big man version of Thomas particularly in a tight game).

Next: A Look At the Boston Celtics Tough First 10 Games

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