The results are in. Boston Celtics fans want to stick with familiar faces in the starting lineup.
Let’s start with the guard position. Obviously Derrick White should start at one of the guard spots (with Jaylen Brown playing the wing). That leaves another guard position (or ball handlers, or swings, or whatever positionless designation you want to go with).
Newcomer Anfernee Simons started 70 games for the Portland Trailblazers last year and Payton Pritchard won 6th man of the year (starting just 3 games). But that didn’t stop people from voting for Pritchard to start.
I don’t think this should be any big surprise, regardless if you agree with it or not. Boston fans are comfortable and familiar with Pritchard and see this as his opportunity to take a step forward into a bigger role. Meanwhile, Simons seems to have the skillset of a 6th man, bench scorer. He’s probably paid a little more than you might allocate for that role, but he’s also on an expiring contract. Which leads to another reason the Celtics might favor starting Pritchard. If they are serious about trading Simons, it might make more sense to stick with Payton from the start (rather than trying to “showcase” Simons).
On to the next big question mark, the center position.
Again, familiarity swings the vote. You could argue that Boucher has the most experience and deserves a shot at the job. However, he’s really more of a power forward or stretch big and would be undersized as a starting center. It might not really matter depending on how much Coach Mazzulla rotates these guys in and out of the lineups.
Queta certainly looks the part of an NBA center and has shown flashes of productivity in green. Barring another trade, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get the nod this Fall. At least for a while.
Surprised by the results? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
