With Jrue Holiday joining Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup, the Celtics will have one of the most intimidating starting lineups in the NBA. However, with three weeks left before the start of the regular season, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t yet announcing his starting lineup.
We put thought into that,” Mazzulla said. “I think with the roster that we have, I thought that something that was good for us last year was our ability to go back and forth with double big and playing small. So I’ve put thought into it. I haven’t really come across what the best way to go about that is yet, but I want to be as open-minded as we can, knowing that we have a lot of flexibility in the backcourt and in the frontcourt.”
The aforementioned unit seems the most likely, given that Mazzulla already announced White as the starting point guard this summer and the big prices the Celtics paid for Holiday and Porzingis. It would send Al Horford – who has started every game he’s played with the Celtics – to the bench.
Horford has expressed in the past that his preference is to start. Asked if he still wanted to start, the veteran deferred to Mazzulla.
“It’s been a lot going on with everything, but for me, we have such a special group here,” Horford said. “We’re all ready to put in the work to get started, and to put ourselves in the best position. So that’s something Joe will have to address and determine, but for me, I’m excited to be in this position and have this opportunity with our team.”
On Tuesday, Mazzulla indicated that lineups might change depending on the opposition. Last season, the Celtics had success using both smaller and double-big combinations, so there will undoubtedly be times when Porzingis and Horford will share the court. In the preseason, the Celtics will try everything as they assess what suits their players the best.
