Boston Celtics: Way too early starting lineup prediction for 2021-22

Point guard: Marcus Smart

The heart and soul of the Boston Celtics is getting the keys to the offense from Ime Udoka. Marcus Smart started his career as the spark plug off the bench and now finds himself with the duties of being a playmaker.

Udoka recently stated how Smart has been asking for this opportunity, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shooting guard: Aaron Nesmith

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.

Aaron Nesmith 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He is more than capable of shooting north of 40 percent from three on 5-6 attempts per game.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.