BOSTON – After much anticipation, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens finally revealed his opening night lineup, an hour and 45 minutes before tipping off the regular season.
Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee and Tyler Zeller will lead the C’s onto their brand new parquet floor tonight, when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden.
If you tuned into Boston’s preseason, that starting five should seem familiar. It’s the same group that opened up four-of-seven exhibition games for the C’s in October.
Stevens likes the tenaciousness of the guards and wings in that group, and how Tyler Zeller and newcomer David Lee complement them in the frontcourt.
“I thought that we played pretty well in Europe with that group and so that was just something that we put in our back pocket as we were resting people and thinking about it,” said Stevens. “With those guys, with those wings and those guards, one of the greatest strengths they bring to the table is cutting. So to do that, they need another facilitator on the court, and so David is a good ball handler and facilitator.”
Because of Boston’s depth, Stevens made it clear that this starting lineup will not necessarily be the one we see on a nightly basis. He will likely mix and match guys depending on the situation at hand.
“I think just as we’re asking the team to be flexible and malleable, I have to be,” said Stevens. “So I don’t think I can take the easy way out and say I’d like to have a set rotation every night. I need to be thinking outside the box and make sure that we utilize that depth.”
Taking that approach, Stevens explained, is a great way to keep opposing teams on their toes.
“I think you can make the argument that sometimes a set rotation or having a routine is a negative,” said Stevens. “I think it’s scoutable, I think you can lose the guys at the end of the bench, and I think that keeping everybody engaged and making sure that we’re all ready for our time is a good thing. We’ll probably look more set than not, but I’m certainly not afraid to throw any of these guys in.”
For now, the fivesome of Smart, Bradley, Crowder, Lee and Zeller appear to be a cohesive unit that is capable of sparking Boston to a hot start.
That’s exactly the kind of starting rotation the C’s need, when they tip off their season in a few moments.
Celtics: Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee, Tyler Zeller
76ers: Isaiah Canaan, Jakarr Sampson, Hollis Thompson, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel
– Taylor C. Snow
