The Boston Celtics were one win away from the greatest series comeback in NBA history. Now forced to reflect and regroup, Joe Mazzulla's rotation will look noticeably different in 2023-24.
The Boston Celtics finished last season with the second-best record in the NBA and entered the postseason as prohibitive favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Celtics were close, too — getting all the way to Game 7 of the conference finals before falling to the plucky No. 8 seed Heat.
How the Celtics got to the precipice was, of course, less majestic than the fanbase would have liked. The Sixers took a 3-2 series lead in the second round and led in the fourth quarter of Game 6 before Boston made its comeback. The Heat then went up 3-0 on Boston before the Celtics clawed all the way back, only to crumble on the doorstep of history.
The Celtics were far from the unbeatable juggernauts fans hoped for and team president Brad Stevens has been unafraid to shake up the roster accordingly. Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, was dealt to Memphis in a three-team deal that landed Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics also lost multiple rotation pieces to free agency — chief among them Grant Williams, who went to Dallas in a sign-and-trade.
Joe Mazzulla's lineups will look very different next season. Here's what we can expect from the Celtics rotationally.
Boston Celtics starting point guard: Derrick White
Derrick White was quietly the Celtics' second-best player for long stretches of the postseason. The Celtics will probably shuffle Marcus Smart's ball-handling duties to White, whose defense on the perimeter will increase in importance even more with the former DPOY out the door.
Much has been made about the lack of a traditional point guard and table-setter on Boston's roster in recent years, especially since Kyrie Irving left. White can drive-and-dish and orchestrate the offense well enough, but he's not a preternaturally gifted playmaker. He's much better suited to operating off the ball and attacking closeouts, which he will still get plenty of opportunities to do. If anything, the Smart trade will place more playmaking duties on Jayson Tatum's plate.
White is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He was rewarded with second team All-Defense (he probably should've been first team). He's a hound on the ball, but he's equally special roaming off of non-shooters and sneaking into passing lanes like a thief in the night. White also blocks more than his fair share of shots at 6-foot-4. He's everywhere.
Primary backup point guard: Malcolm Brogdon
The Celtics tried to trade Malcolm Brogdon earlier in the summer but injury concerns scared off prospective buyers. Now, he'll presumably spend another season in the Celtics' sixth man role. It's hard to feel bad for Boston, as Brogdon would start for 90 percent of teams around the league. He's a portrait of efficiency: 14.9 points and 3.9 assists with only 1.5 turnovers on .484/.444/.870 splits.
Boston is the perfect spot for Brogdon to weaponize his strengths. He can run the show and get his own shot, but he's much more effective cashing in on open 3s, torching rotating defenses, and playing connector instead of lead star like he did in Indiana previously.
He's probably a top-75 player at worst when healthy. The Celtics will use him plenty in various different lineups, another benefit of Brogdon in this role. He's a strong, versatile defender at 6-foot-5 with a skill set that can adapt to pretty much any group.
Other players who could see minutes at point guard: Payton Pritchard
Boston Celtics starting shooting guard: Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown is expected to sign a record supermax contract in the near future. The Celtics have been suspiciously quiet on that front, but it's hard to imagine the two sides not coming to terms eventually — even after Brown's horrific showing in Boston's Game 7 loss to Miami.
And let's be clear: that Game 7 performance was all-time stinky. Brown scored 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting and committed eight turnovers. It was a wake up call for him and the Celtics. At some point, the former No. 3 pick has to improve his handle or the Celtics have to change how the offense functions late in games.
Now, context is important. Brown's game probably doesn't stand out in the same light if Jayson Tatum wasn't playing on a hobbled ankle in Game 7. The defense was able to turn all its attention toward Brown and he melted under the pressure. He's certainly a limited self-creator, but the Celtics can't afford to mess around and lose him for nothing in a year. He made second team All-NBA last season and he's a 6-foot-7 mega-athlete on the wing who can score at every level and defend across the positional spectrum. Those don't grow on trees.
Brown will continue to obliterate defenses with his explosive forays down the lane. He's a great finisher at the rim and he's more adept than most at hitting contested jumpers. If he can eventually develop a less rigid handle, there's another level of stardom within his grasp. The Celtics can't overreact to one bad game.
Primary backup shooting guard: Derrick White
The Celtics don't have a ton of guard depth at the moment, but it won't matter unless injuries strike. White and Brogdon will share a lot of time in the backcourt and that's a good mix; their games are very complementary. That said, if either gets hurt or if Brown misses time, the Celtics could be scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Other players who could receive minutes at shooting guard: Malcolm Brogdon, Dalano Banton, Sam Hauser
Dalano Banton was an underrated offseason acquisition for Boston. He played sparsely in Toronto last season, but he's a fluid 6-foot-7 wing who styles himself as a "point guard." He's probably better categorized under two-guard for the Celtics' purposes, but Banton can get out and run and supply some connective passing off the pine. He's a low-stakes development project worth monitoring at 23 years old.
Boston Celtics starting small forward: Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum has cemented himself as one of the NBA's true superstars. Boston hasn't been to the mountaintop yet, but few teams have been more consistently in the vicinity of the mountaintop than the Celtics since Tatum's arrival in 2017. He continues to get better each year, adding new layers to his diverse arsenal of polished scoring moves.
In many ways, Tatum is the ideal modern star: 6-foot-8 with a picturesque jumper, dynamic handles, and the cleanest footwork of any wing in the NBA. Tatum patiently picks apart his prey, sizing defenders up with hesitations or stutter-steps before uncorking any number of dribble moves to create space and flow effortlessly into his pull-up jumper.
Over the years, Tatum has become a bonafide three-level threat. He's an elite, explosive finisher at the rim, he's on the shortlist of best mid-range scorers in the NBA, and he's absolute money from three-point range. He can shoot from any angle, on the move or standing still, and he's a top-shelf wing defender to wrap it all together.
If there's an area of growth for Tatum to focus on, it's creating for others. He has made serious strides in that department but he's still not a table-setter. He's susceptible to well-time double teams and heavy pressure at the point of attack and it's not uncommon for Tatum to be forced into a bad decision. He had a few rough moments sprinkled throughout his many brilliant stretches in the postseason. That's nitpicking a top-seven player, but there's always room for improvement no matter how good a player is.
Primary backup small forward: Jaylen Brown
The Celtics don't have the same volume of depth as last season's team. That won't matter much if the core stays healthy, but it's worth noting. The absences of players like Grant Williams and Marcus Smart in the wing rotation will be felt.
Other players who could receive minutes at small forward: Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser is a buttery spot-up shooter. He was seeing minutes in the postseason; Joe Mazzulla will find ways to squeeze him into the lineup between Tatum, Brown, White, and Brogdon.
The wild card here is second-round pick Jordan Walsh, who was the No. 22 prospect on the FanSided draft board. He looked the part of an immediate contributor in Summer League. He's a ferocious defender with a plus-8 wingspan, real bounce, and a projectable three-point shot. He's probably going to make a lot of front offices feel stupid when he's getting run for the best team in the East as a teenager.
Boston Celtics starting power forward: Al Horford
Al Horford is 37 years old. If any member of this projected starting five is going to prove incorrect, it's probably Horford. Even if he begins the year with the starting unit, it would not be surprising to see either Malcolm Brogdon or Robert Williams take his spot before all is said and done. Father Time comes for us all, and Horford certainly showed his age at various points last season.
That said, the wily vet started in all 63 of his appearances last season. The Celtics have been proprietors of the two-big lineup and there's a good chance that continues with Porzinigs joining the mix in 2023-24. Horford can still credibly guard 4s and he's certainly skilled enough to survive at the position on offense, especially with another long-range bomber in the frontcourt.
Horford has always been a master of the fundamentals. He has five All-Star appearances on his résumé despite never averaging more than 18.6 points per game in a single season. He can spread the floor and occasionally uncork a vintage post move or two, but he's not a scorer at heart. He impacts winning as a screener, passer, and mover. He understands the game on an intuitive level and he's great at empowering teammates for success.
His ability to hold up in space defensively will determine if he can truly survive next to Porzingis. There are fair doubts on that front, so consider this the least "penciled in" of the starting lineup projections. Horford will probably have to transition to a bench role eventually.
Primary backup power forward: Jayson Tatum
Expect Tatum to get a lot of run in this spot when the Celtics go with two-guard lineups of Brogdon and White or Pritchard and White. In fact, if Horford does get shuffled out of the starting lineup, one has to imagine it will be in favor of a smaller group involving Brogdon. Williams and Horford both coming off the bench gets a bit crowded, but the Celtics have clearly moved their priorities away from guard depth with the Porzinigs trade.
Other players who could receive minutes at power forward: Robert Williams III, Oshae Brissett
Boston Celtics starting center: Kristaps Porzingis
There was more risk involved in the Kristaps Porzingis trade than a lot of Celtics fans appear ready to admit. Porzinigs hasn't always been the healthiest player in the league and Smart, better or not, was the bleeding heart of Boston's defense and a real force for good in the locker room. The Celtics' locker room didn't always radiate the best vibes last season. How will it hold together without Smart's fire and commitment to winning?
That said, there's a reason Boston made the move. Porzingis was brilliant for the Wizards last season and he addresses an area of need for the Celtics. Robert Williams' injury and subsequent regression left Boston in need of better rim protection; Porzinigis is one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla may have to alter his defensive strategy with Porzinigis, who's almost exclusively a drop coverage center, but he's going to empower the likes of White and Tatum to wreak havoc on the perimeter.
Offensively, Porzinigis is a huge boon for the Celtics. He's going to ratchet up the three-point volume and he's going to stretch defenses thin with his ability to hit shots several steps behind the line. The Tatum-Porzinigs pick-and-pops are going to drive opposing coaches mad. Porzinigis can still beat closeouts and do damage as a face-up scorer too. He averaged 23.8 points on 62.7 TS% last season. The Celtics got a very, very good player.
Primary backup center: Robert Williams III
Robert Williams was on the All-Defense team a year ago. He struggled to work his way back from injury last season and spent a good chunk of the year coming off the bench, but he remains a singularly gifted athlete who can absolutely impact the game at a high level.
Williams is perhaps more switchable than Horford at this stage of their respective careers; he could spend a lot of time next to Porzingis in two-big lineups, giving the Celtics a pair of top-shelf rim protectors. Williams has unreal recovery speed guarding the perimeter and his reaction times in the paint are unmatched. The man has a great first and second leap and he can elevate into the heavens to reject a shot. A return to form would leave Boston with hard decisions to make rotationally, because Williams is another "bench" piece who would start for a lot of other teams.
Other players who could receive minutes at center: Al Horford, Luke Kornet