Celtics training camp is right around the corner, and Boston has some thinking to do about which players are going to make up its starting rotation. After a successful offseason that saw the addition of former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, the Celtics starting lineup seems due for a change.
Last year, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams III, and Marcus Smart mainly acted as Boston's starters down the stretch. And when that starting five was on the court, Boston posted an impressive 27-7 record.
Granted, injuries got in the way and derailed that lineup frequently. Yet, for the upcoming 2022-2023 NBA season — outside of Danilo Gallinari — the Celtics should be relatively good to go healthwise.
So, with a healthy squad, head coach Ime Udoka has a decision to make. Does he maintain the same starters who brought the Celtics back to life last season, or opt for new blood? Regardless of who first takes the court for Boston, its starting five could go in a couple of different directions and potentially sit one key player.
Marcus Smart
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year had an undeniably great showing on the defensive side of the ball last season. He even started every game he played in. However, that hasn't always been the case in Smart's career.
In his early years with the C's, Smart was a spark off the bench who'd see a lot of minutes as a sixth man. He's no stranger to that spot in the rotation, so it wouldn't be a shock if Boston decides to place him back in that role.
The longest-tenured Celtics player could disagree with this possible move, but in a few ways it makes sense. Although he only missed 11 regular season games last year, Smart had multiple nagging injuries that sidelined him briefly in the playoffs. A sixth-man role could help him circumvent these health issues later in the season, and some of his best work has been in games he came off the bench.
While fellow starter Robert Williams is no stranger to the injury bug, the brutal ACL injury Gallinari suffered this summer restricts the C's with its big men. Beforehand, perhaps Williams would be starting off with a bench role, yet his size and rim-protecting abilities make him hard to replace.
Smart is certainly crucial to Boston's success as well, but the acquisition of Brogdon changes a lot. First of all, Brogdon has a similar game to Smart. He's a great defender who can also shoot and make plays. They both averaged 5.9 assists per game last year, but Brogdon is the superior rebounder and scorer. Having someone in the starting lineup who can remove any offensive burden from Tatum and Brown could be very enticing to Udoka.
Of course, Smart can score too, just not as reliably. He doesn't convert on his three-point shot as consistently as Brogdon and can go cold at the worst times. If Smart moved back to the bench, maybe he'd feel less pressure to take questionable threes and settle in easier to a scaled-down offensive role.
No matter who earns the starting spot, Smart should undoubtedly retain most of his minutes. The guard was the Defensive Player of the Year for a reason and he is the heart and soul of the C's. With that being said, it doesn't mean he necessarily has to start.
Brogdon has already said he'll fit into any role the Celtics want him at, whether as a starter or sixth man. And while president of basketball operations Brad Stevens previously favored the C's keeping their old starting five, that was before Gallinari's devastating injury.
Whichever way the Celtics go, they have a team with great talent that can contend for a championship. And whether it's from the bench or with the starting five, Smart and company are eager to run it back and return to the NBA Finals.
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