[Celtics3178Participant]

The celtics are in a rare spot where they have so many guys who deserve legit minutes. They had some great signings and got a solid player in trade but lost a great in AB. 

Pg: IT till get 30 minutes and Rozier will get about 18

SG: Smart will get 24 and Brown will get more minutes this year so he should grab 24 himself

SF: Gordon 30 and Tatum will take a similar role to Brown last year and get 18. 

PF: Al will get 12 minutes at pf but total 30 with center time. That leaves 36 minutes for Morris and Crowder. It’s going to be a significant drop for Crowder and Morris. 

C: Baynes and Zizic 15 each. Horford 18 minutes at center 

 The most logical move is trade Crowder for a future asset. But what is Crowder worth? His contract is a steal but he’s not great at anything. Would a team trade anything of value for Crowder? He’s most valueable in a trade as a side dish to the main course. 

 

 

 

 

[BleedGreen808Participant]

I think you’re looking at the minutes being broken down in a more traditional style.  That doesn’t really fit way Stevens views positions.  Crowder(3/4), Morris(3/4), Brown (2/3/4), Tatum(3/4), Hayward(2/3/4) are all capable of playing more than one position.  I actually think we see Al at the 5 more often this season which will allow him to pull opposing centers out of the paint on offense while not having to guard stretch 4s on defense.

 Stevens likes to experiement with lineups to start the regular season.  We could see lineups with multiple wings such as IT/Hayward/Morris/Crowder/Al.  That’s IT and four players around 6’8" to 6’10" with players that are pretty comfortable switching(besides IT).  On offense that lineup would have shooting from every position (Morris the worst coming off a down year of 33% from 3) giving IT and Hayward space to attack the paint.  

Lastly I think you’re really downplaying how important Crowder is to this team and how many teams would like to trade for him.  He has about 3yrs/21mil left and is coming off a season where he shot 39% from 3 while being able to play SF/PF.  Sure he’s not going to create his own offense or set up his teammates at a high level but that’s not his game.  There’s not many "3 & D" players that come as cheap as Crowder does in the current market.

 

[Miko4rm206Participant]

 I do believe Jae Crowder is the odd man out. He isn’t gonna get that much better than he is right now. With Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum and Marcus Morris all being SFs before anything they Should have Included Jae Crowder A Pick and Maybe Rozier in that Avery Bradley trade to bring over Drummond instead.

But who knows how Brad will play this out both of you guys Gave to completely different Lineup Scenarios that can both work. But as is they do have to many pieces and especially at Forward to not package with a Pick for another Big. Maybe Valencinas, Drummond, Aldrige? They need another legit Big. Especially if they Truly have a Chance to Get Micheal Porter Jr he would definitely need around 29mins.

It may get to a Point where we see More players Like Josh Jackson just Curve the Celtics b/c they are sooo Stacked!

 

 

 

[roni3Participant]

I think the Celtics will start somewhat small with a line up of IT, Gordon, Crowder, Morris and Horford. The beauty about their roster is they can play big by sliding Al to PF and Zizic or Baynes at Center for streches. They can also play fast with a line up featuring Brown and Tatum. They can implement a fully focused offensive line up and defensive line up for streteches. They have a very versatile team.

I hear everyone talking about players off the bench like Tatum, Smart, Brown, Zizic. One player people should watch is Guerschon Yabusele. He was drafted last year (2016). He is a 6’7" or 6’8" PF who can shoot the three, defend and handle the ball a bit. He is a very massive player, but despite his size he is pretty athletic and mobil. He plays in the french league. He reminds me of a better in shape Boris Diaw or a poor mans Draymond Green in terms of body size, skill, etc. 

One thing about the Cs is that this team we are seeing is just a stepping stone. A year from now they might have one at the least or two at the most of (Porter Jr., Ayton, Bamba, Doncic and possible Bagley). Also what if the Pelicans are not clicking or Westbrook/ PG is not working out either then the Celtics can try to obtain one of those stars via trade. 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 I agree that they may well start with the experienced line up that Roni3 suggests above, it would mean using Hayward at SG and a lot will depend where Brad Stevens wants to use him. He is the big FA signing so he has tyo play in his best position. Jae Crowder has done nothing wrong at SF but there could be a case for possibly starting Brown and have Crowder give the bench more experience.

The other option could be they start 2 of Crowder, Brown and Tatum with one as a small ball PF around the top trio of IT-Hayward-Horford. But I personally think this would be further down the line if they did see Tatum as a stretch 4 and Morris will play as the main PF with Horford able to play there if needed.

Yabusele will be interesting to watch, he is a Paul Millsap type build who can make up for his hight disadvantage by using his strength. He’ll have a lower centre of gravity and can use his strength to out muscle and back into taller skinner opponents.

 

[Celtics3178Participant]

 Stevens always started Al at power forward. He likes players that can play multi positions. However he always starts the game with guys at normal position. I expect them to start IT Smart Heyward Al and Baynes with Brown maybe moving into Smarts spot by the end of the year. Once the game gets going he plays positionless basketball with his bench but he always starts a traditional lineup. 

[cohenbc1Participant]

Crowder’s RPM numbers and other advanced stats suggest that he’s a huge part of Boston’s success. I don’t think they will trade him or cut his minutes. He’ll play more of them at PF this year.

The solution to the minutes logjam is that Baynes and Zizic won’t get 15 minutes each. One of them may get that much. The other will be a garbage-time guy. 

 

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Like the above, let me chime in and say Crowder is much better than you realize. Also don’t over estimate Tatum. The Celtic might love him. But the ability to hit tough shots at a not terrible rate for a rookie may not prove itself very valuable to a team aiming for 55 wins. 

I think Hayward will slide up into the SG position at times (and maybe even to start) because his skill level allows it. And J. Brown will play more because of his athleticism to play defense. Tatum I suspect will be the odd man out. And that is okay. It is very unlikely that a rookie can play well enough to contribute to a 55 win team. And I think that is doubly so if that rookie is more of a one on one scorer. 

 

 

 

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

 Does not shoot it well and puts 0 pressure on guys like LBJ. Brown should this years and bring Crowder with Smart of the bench for a strong bench. Brown averaged 11 and 4reb in his time starting when AB was hurt last year. Brown starting will score more than Crowder and make LBJ actually defend.

[thetrademachineryParticipant]

i would like to see them going thomas brown hayward tatum horford

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