Who would be in your Celtics 2023-24 Starting Lineup?

[zoyathedestroya]

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[Hal14]

I can see us maybe going big (with Horford starting and White off the bench) vs Philly, Bucks, Minnesota (if their bigs are ever healthy at the same time, lol) maybe Denver.

Pretty much everyone else, we should be fine with Tatum at the 4, KP at the 5 and Al off the bench.

[chakdaddy]

To end all debate about who to start, Joe needs to be more innovative and start all six of our top players. Ground-breaking move no other team would even consider.

It worked for Portland against us in December 2008. I'm still angry.

[zoyathedestroya]

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[seiffert82]

After watching what our lineups were during the scoring droughts in the Knicks game, I'd definitely advocate for starting White on the bench, but finishing with him at the end.

This team doesn't need 5 scoring options to open the game. White would be way more effective coming on later and playing with Horford and two of the starters.

Start Hauser. Keeps the floor spread, can rebound reasonably well and gives us that 5th option late in the shot clock if the opposition is double teaming.

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[shackles10]

Starting lineup was not the problem to start the game. We got up 12 by the end of the 1st and that wasn't with lights out shooting or anything either.

[Parliament10]

I'd like to put someone else in with the Starters; a Big preferably.
Have White and Horford run the 2nd Unit.

[seiffert82]

Starting lineup was not the problem to start the game. We got up 12 by the end of the 1st and that wasn't with lights out shooting or anything either.

The issue is not the starters, it's what happens during the rest of the game.

White's contribution to the team is completely lost when he's on the court with the other 4 starters. He didn't take a single shot in the first quarter.

He was substituted after 5 minutes when the score was 9-4, with 2 fouls, 2 rebs and an assist. The team would be much better served over the course of the season with both him and Horford on the bench.

I want White on the court at the end of the game though.

[shackles10]

Starting lineup was not the problem to start the game. We got up 12 by the end of the 1st and that wasn't with lights out shooting or anything either.

The issue is not the starters, it's what happens during the rest of the game.

White's contribution to the team is completely lost when he's on the court with the other 4 starters. He didn't take a single shot in the first quarter.

He was substituted after 5 minutes when the score was 9-4, with 2 fouls, 2 rebs and an assist. The team would be much better served over the course of the season with both him and Horford on the bench.

I want White on the court at the end of the game though.

I think the 2 fouls you mentioned had a big impact in all that. He probably stays out a little longer and maybe Zinger (I'm sticking to it until you all call him that) comes out first with Al coming in. We have flexibility to do double bigs with Al, but hard to say after 1 game how much we will especially when it's a game with White in early foul trouble. He also couldn't be as aggressive when he was playing because of the fouls. I still like way too much of what White does to make him a bench player. He's a perfect connector, even if he is mitigated some with the other 4 starters.

[seiffert82]

Starting lineup was not the problem to start the game. We got up 12 by the end of the 1st and that wasn't with lights out shooting or anything either.

The issue is not the starters, it's what happens during the rest of the game.

White's contribution to the team is completely lost when he's on the court with the other 4 starters. He didn't take a single shot in the first quarter.

He was substituted after 5 minutes when the score was 9-4, with 2 fouls, 2 rebs and an assist. The team would be much better served over the course of the season with both him and Horford on the bench.

I want White on the court at the end of the game though.

I think the 2 fouls you mentioned had a big impact in all that. He probably stays out a little longer and maybe Zinger (I'm sticking to it until you all call him that) comes out first with Al coming in. We have flexibility to do double bigs with Al, but hard to say after 1 game how much we will especially when it's a game with White in early foul trouble. He also couldn't be as aggressive when he was playing because of the fouls. I still like way too much of what White does to make him a bench player. He's a perfect connector, even if he is mitigated some with the other 4 starters.

If he continues to start I'd love to see some stats at the end of the season telling me how many shots and assists he gets while playing with the other 4 starters.

On almost all teams he's a starter. Last season he's a starter. With Smart gone and Zinger in the lineup he's clearly now a 5th scoring option. It's a complete waste of talent while we have such a thin bench.

Bring Hauser in. He can spread the floor and pick up the opposition's worst offensive wing. All Sam needs to do is rebound and offer a late clock scoring option.

Starting doesn't matter with 4 all stars in the lineup. Finishing games and winning championships matter.

[seiffert82]

Kevin McHale was probably good enough to start every single game of his career too (of course he was), but instead he helped the C's raise banners.

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[Parliament10]

Kevin McHale was probably good enough to start every single game of his career too (of course he was), but instead he helped the C's raise banners.

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Good Point. He actually came off the Bench Strictly, for the first few years.
I too, would like to see White and Horford both coming off the Bench, and running a Strong 2nd Unit.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

They should move Brown to the bench and start Hauser.
Might wake JB up some. He'll definitely be angry.
Celtics need a scorer off the bench and Brown would suffice.

[playa-hater]

They should move Brown to the bench and start Hauser.
Might wake JB up some. He'll definitely be angry.
Celtics need a scorer off the bench and Brown would suffice.

Hauser or Stevens would do wonders for allowing more opportunities for Tatum KP White and Jrue to get in rhythm. Having Brown in there gunning early makes it a lot harder. But just the idea of Joe having the balls to do that would be fantasy or science-fiction at best.

More realistically find a way to stagger our role players with our starters.

[Parliament10]

They should move Brown to the bench and start Hauser.
Might wake JB up some. He'll definitely be angry.
Celtics need a scorer off the bench and Brown would suffice.

Hauser or Stevens would do wonders for allowing more opportunities for Tatum KP White and Jrue to get in rhythm. Having Brown in there gunning early makes it a lot harder. But just the idea of Joe having the balls to do that would be fantasy or science-fiction at best.

More realistically find a way to stagger our role players with our starters.

Yeah. After the Starters are in there for a bit, I think that you keep 2-3 of our Core 6 on the Floor, and pepper in Hybrid Units.

[ConstableGeneva]

Mazzulla can't go wrong with any combo of our top 6 to use as his starting five.

No White:



No Holiday:



No Horford:



No Brown:



No Tatum:



No Porzingis:

[Parliament10]

Mazzulla can't go wrong with any combo of our top 6 to use as his starting five.

No White:



No Holiday:



No Horford:



No Brown:



No Tatum:



No Porzingis:

It looks like, for the most part, this is going to be our Main Starting Lineup.:



And, if looks like Horford is not quite into form, yet.
Let's hope that Father Time, hasn't closed him down.

[zoyathedestroya]

Celtics starting lineup killing opposition so far. The one with Horford not too shabby either.

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Given the early success of Boston’s new-look first unit, Mazzulla should be looking for as many ways as possible to keep that group on the court regardless of the matchup. In a playoff series, where teams have more time to adjust, he could find using Holiday on Embiid for long stretches would be untenable.

But in the first look at that strategy, the Celtics defense showed it could be valuable. Holiday bothered Embiid on the perimeter and tried like heck to stand up to him down low. Porziņģis and Boston’s other perimeter defenders sent help. It takes an entire team to stop an All-NBA talent like Embiid, and the Celtics were able to prevent some of his easy touches. He still shined on some of Boston’s first unit’s weaknesses by slamming home a couple of easy dunks and drawing several fouls on Porziņģis but acknowledged the 76ers didn’t always do a good job of handling the unorthodox Holiday matchup.

[zoyathedestroya]

It's only been seven games, but our regular starting five has yet to lose in the minutes they've played in each game.



Outscoring opponents by 40.2 points per 100 possessions in 213 possessions so far. I'm starting to think these guys are good.

They're combining for 97.0 ppg a game. highest in the league.

[ConstableGeneva]

The Celtics starting lineup is the 2nd "most used" (most # of possessions) 5-man lineup in the NBA behind OKC's starting lineup. They've outscored opponents by 35.3 points per 100 possessions.

Among 24 lineups w/ at least 150 possessions together, Cs starting lineup ranks 1st in net efficiency. They still have yet to lose in the cumulative minutes they've been together in any game.