The Boston Celtics enter training camp with their starting lineup very much in flux.
A year ago, the rotation was firmly established after a championship run, but an offseason overhaul and Jayson Tatum’s ongoing recovery from an Achilles injury have left coach Joe Mazzulla with tough choices.
Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Luke Kornet have all departed via trades and free agency, with Al Horford also expected to sign elsewhere. That means Boston must reconfigure its first unit while keeping pace with the Eastern Conference.
Some roles seem secure. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are locked in, with White shouldering even more playmaking. At center, Neemias Queta projects as the default starter after the team’s big-man departures, though his interior-oriented game will mean strategic changes.
“Queta is a more traditional center so his presence will require adjustments after the Celtics leaned on the floor-spacing shooting of Horford and Porziņģis,” Adam Himmelsbach wrote in the Boston Globe.
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Sam Hauser figures to be the first option on the wing, offering spacing and perimeter shooting after hitting better than 41 percent from beyond the arc in each of his four seasons. His presence will help offset the scoring void left by Tatum.
The real debate is at the second guard spot. Payton Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is seen by many analysts as the frontrunner. He brings defensive effort and system familiarity, but moving him into the starting five could lessen Boston’s bench punch.
Anfernee Simons, acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade, is another candidate. A gifted scorer with an expiring contract, Simons has value as an offensive spark but his defensive metrics trail Pritchard’s.
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Boston could mix and match depending on matchups, but early signs point to White, Pritchard, Brown, Hauser and Queta forming the opening-night five.