Boston Celtics: 3 reasons this is still a team to fear in the playoffs

3. Rotations will (likely) be shortened

It’s clear that with as many as 10 legitimate playable pieces, head coach Brad Stevens has struggled throughout the season in trying to figure out a consistent rotation to rely on.

The highlight of this experiment has been Stevens’ insistence in giving major minutes to Gordon Hayward, who, after returning from a horrific ankle injury last season, just doesn’t look like his former All-Star self as he works his way back into form.

Pushing through Hayward’s struggles is something Boston has to do in order to speed up the recovery process and get the most out of the annual $30 million-plus left on the next three years of his contract, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach in the present, when those deficiencies are clearly hampering the Cs on a nightly basis.

Come postseason time, teams shorten the leash quite a bit and go with the players and rotations they know will give them the best shot at winning. There are no more chances and no more experiments. It’s about putting yourself in the best position to succeed with the ultimate prize on the line.

While opponents may relish every time they see the clearly compromised Hayward step in between the lines, it’s more than likely that when the playoffs come, productive guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will see their minutes increase while Hayward’s opportunities will become few and far between, because by that point, Stevens can’t afford to take that risk anymore.