The Boston Celtics upgraded their roster during the offseason and now have a handful of new players to equip onto the court this season. That said, first-year head coach Ime Udoka is poised to lead the Celtics to success this season. However, he’ll need to put together a rotation that won’t compromise the team in any way when the starting group is taken out; more specifically Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
If we look at last season as a sample size, it’s quite evident that the Celtics lacked certain qualities and abilities on their roster. The rotations and bench groups weren’t advanced enough to keep Boston in games when the starters would come out. In fact, the Celtics finished last season as having one of the worst bench units in regards to scoring on a nightly basis with 30.7 points per game, which was good for 28th in the NBA.
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has to put together his rotation by the end of camp, and there will be many position battles throughout.
As we look ahead into this season, the Celtics have upgraded their roster, but they also improved their bench pieces more than anything. The bench unit is more important than it’s truly given credit for in today’s NBA. Throughout most of Brad Stevens’ coaching tenure with the Celtics, bench production has been one of the most repeating issues with the team, along with a few others. And that ties into what Stevens has been preaching all summer regarding his team; the need to bring in experienced players with an edge.
In a previous article, I predicted what the potential starting lineup could be. I went with the following:
- PG- Marcus Smart
- SG- Dennis Schroder
- SF- Jaylen Brown
- PF- Jayson Tatum
- C- Robert Williams
This starting lineup gives the Celtics a poised group on both sides of the court. This lineup also doesn’t compromise the production of the bench unit, which has been a major issue in recent years. With a solid starting group, let’s take a look at what the rotation would be with this lineup projection.