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Despite preseason games having no-bearing, coaches take advantage of them to see first hand how prepared their players are for the coming season. It allows them to run some sets they practiced during training camp, and also experiment on some combinations they can use in the future.
That is exactly the case for Brad Stevens, as the Boston Celtics open their preseason when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. The team announced their starting lineup ahead of the match, via their Twitter account, and while some of the names are the ones expected by many to be part of the first five, one of them was surprisingly included of it, as Aron Baynes has been tapped to start at the center position.
Tonight's staring lineup against Charlotte:
Kyrie Irving
Jaylen Brown
Gordon Hayward
Al Horford
Aron Baynes— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 2, 2017
The development can be considered an early shake-up for the C's, as it could mean that Al Horford will slide to the power forward slot, giving the team a very tall lineup. It also shows the versatility they now have, as Stevens can also opt for a smaller, yet faster lineup on the floor, if they have Horford at the five, and possibly adding Marcus Smart at shooting guard.
It remains to be seen if their starting unit will be the final one they'll be using throughout the season. However, it may also depend on who they play on certain nights, especially if a team has a traditional center, just like on Monday when they go up against Dwight Howard.
