Boston Celtics: Ranking their projected starting five

No. 3 Starter: Kemba Walker

If you’re ranking any team’s starters and you have Kemba Walker as number three on that list, then you know it’s going to be a pretty good five. Walker could easily be higher here, but the way that Tatum and Brown are playing at such an early stage in their careers sees them jump the veteran point guard.

Along with number one and two, Kemba was the third Celtic to average over twenty points per game last season, recording 20.4. He shot 38.1 percent from 3-point range, becoming an integral part of this offense, which ranked fourth in the league and a strong veteran presence for the team.

With Gordon Hayward departing Boston, Kemba is going to have a bigger role to play for this upcoming season in terms of facilitating and dictating the Celtics offense. Kemba is a scoring point guard, but with the rest of the talent you have on this team, there’s no need for him to rely on his shot as much as he did in Charlotte.

A pass-first approach will happen more often this season, as he’ll be the main catalyst in creating opportunities for the wings. He’ll also have Tristan Thompson coming in to help boost that pick-and-roll game that he is so good in – which should allow him more flexibility as a shot creator. Walker is currently recovering from a knee injury but should be good to lead the Celtics into battle come January.

No. 4 starter: Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart is the epitome of what Celtics basketball is all about. Grit, grind, hustle. He’s the ultimate team player, and the Celtics wouldn’t be nearly as effective as they have been the last couple of years without his guidance. In what will be his seventh season in Boston, Smart will have a different role to play. Although he’s started more than he’s come off the bench over the last two seasons, this season it looks like he’ll be a definite starter at that two-guard spot next to Kemba.

He’s a player that does all the little things that don’t necessarily show up on the box score. His most important aspect is obviously his defense, and his ability to guard one through five on any given night. This will be important to the Celtics with Hayward leaving, to have someone to switch onto the taller wing players.

Smart gives the Boston Celtics flexibility in terms of how other players can go at it and play their game, he’ll also provide that playmaking spark that they’ll need next to Walker in order to get the wing guys their looks and feed the big men in the post.

All-in-all, Smart is arguably the most important Celtic. He’s pivotal to this organization and how they win games. He’s under contract in Boston for the next two seasons and will remain a vital figure for this era of Celtics basketball.

No. 5 starter: Tristan Thompson

Thompson will be the key addition from this offseason. He’s a proven NBA center who will help the Celtics get better in areas that they need to. His addition bolsters up the Celtics’ frontcourt and provides them with the size to be competitive in the paint.

The 2016 NBA champion has averaged double figures in rebounds over the last two seasons on weak Cavalier teams. He’s a big factor in the pick-and-roll game that the Celtics like to play, and he’ll help them on the boards at both ends. A physically dominant center is something that this team needs in order to make strides, and that’s what Thompson is.

His teammates should make him a better player, and the fact that he’s going to get big minutes on a contending team will inspire him to be great. This will be a big signing for the Boston Celtics.