The Boston Celtics have turned the NBA on their head once again, with their latest big move seeing them pull off a blockbuster trade for Jrue Holiday. The C's latest move once again boosts their title chances in a competitive Eastern Conference, and gives them arguably the best six-player starting rotation in the entire league.
Of course, it's going to take time for this unit to mesh together and figure out how to win games, but Boston's ceiling is incredibly high thanks to the addition of Holiday. Adding him to an already elite group that featured Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis is nightmare fuel for the rest of the league. It's going to be incredibly tough to break down the Celtics on both sides of the ball.
The final two pieces of the puzzle when it comes to Boston's top six players are Derrick White and Al Horford. With Holiday in town now, one of these guys is going to get bumped from the starting lineup, despite the fact that one's a guard, and one's a center. These are the sorts of problems that teams love to have, so let's take a closer look at this conundrum and figure out whether White or Horford should round out the C's starting five.
The case for the Celtics to start Derrick White
The first thing worth noting here is that there's no wrong answer for Boston here. No matter whether White or Horford are on the floor, the Celtics are going to be expected to dominate. Given how injuries are bound to happen over the course of the season, and different matchups will present themselves to the C's, both of these guys are going to start at some point in time.
When opening night rolls around, though, it seems like pegging White as the fifth and final starter makes the most sense for Boston. This lineup would see White and Holiday run the Celtics backcourt, with Brown shifting to small forward, Tatum playing at power forward, and Porzingis operating as the center. And of course, Horford would be the first guy off the bench to help out the frontcourt.
White was wildly impressive for Boston last season, despite being buried behind Marcus Smart on the depth chart much of the season. It became clear as the season went on that White was a better player than Smart, and he had a massive role in nearly helping this team rally from a 3-0 deficit against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Before Holiday was added, White was the team's starting point guard.
Running a lineup with a pair of capable ball handlers in White and Holiday give the Celtics options that weren't even feasible last year. White's probably a better off-ball fit alongside Holiday, but it's worth noting that from February to the end of the regular season, when his role increased, White's numbers were outrageously good for the C's (15.9 PPG, 4.7 APG, 4.4 RPG, 48.5 FG%, 39 3P%).
White has become a knockdown shooter who can create looks for himself and others, while limiting his turnovers. If there's one part of Holiday's game that is a bit worrisome, it's his turnovers, although again, he won't be the sole ringleader of the Celtics offense. Splitting up the Celtics two best offensive initiators could make sense, but playing them together gives Boston a devastating offensive and defensive combination that teams will struggle mightily against.
The main concern with this unit would be the frontcourt, with Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis all playing in spots that aren't their primary positions, per se. Basketball has largely become a positionless sport, and with the lack of frontcourt depth, these guys are going to have to play in these spots throughout the season at one point or another, so may as well get used to it from the start.
The main advantage of starting White, though, is that it will allow Mazzulla to limit Horford's minutes by bringing him off the bench. Horford is going to be massive for this team down the stretch of the season, so keeping him fresh for the end of the season, and hopefully the playoffs, is probably in the best interest of the team, which is why it's increasingly likely White will be the preferred guy to fill out the lineup.
The case for the Celtics to start Al Horford
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, it's worth noting that Horford starting probably gives the Celtics their best lineup. Starting Horford at center would allow Brown to operate at shooting guard, Tatum at small forward, and Porzingis at power forward, which is where these guys all are more comfortable playing. White comes off the bench and leads the second unit with his playmaking and scoring capabilities, creating a more balanced attack in the process.
The issue again involves wearing down Horford. Horford is entering his age 37 season, and while he didn't show any signs of fatigue as last season went on, Boston would ideally like to take a chunk out of the 30.5 minutes per game he averaged last year. Especially considering the lack of frontcourt depth the Celtics have now, keeping Horford healthy has to be one of the team's primary objectives.
While bringing White off the bench makes sense, it actually could stunt the rest of the rotation behind him. With White starting, the first three guys off the bench are going to be Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard. If Horford starts, that becomes a bit more murky. You'd like to bring Pritchard in alongside White, but who is coming off the bench for big men? Right now, the only two options are Luke Kornet and Wenyen Gabriel, and neither is particularly enticing.
Given how, on paper, the Celtics are one of the top teams in the NBA, the focus has to be on the long run of the 2023-24 campaign. And the best move when focusing on the long run involves starting White and bringing Horford off of the bench. Maybe that will change in the playoffs, but it's more important to actually get there first, and starting White over Horford gives Boston their best chance to accomplish their main goal of winning a championship this season.
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