Author Topic: Thoughts going into the regular season?  (Read 8461 times)

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Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #30 on: October 15, 2021, 03:47:04 PM »

Offline Moranis

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Schroder should start, but that doesn't mean the team also shouldn't start Smart as they should. I think the rotation is pretty solid and will end up something like this

PG - Schroder 28, Pritchard 15, Smart 5
SG - Smart 25, Richardson 15, Langford 10
SF - Brown 35, Nesmith 10, Richardson 3
PF - Tatum 35, Parker/G. Williams 13
C - Horford 20, Williams/Kanter 28

Something like that with the backup PF and C minutes being divided up based on match-up, hot hand, etc.  With how Langford has looked, I think he is a regular part of the rotation eating into Richardson's minutes. 
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Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #31 on: October 15, 2021, 03:56:32 PM »

Offline nebist

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I have a couple of questions/thoughts with how Ime shakes everything out with the rotation and schemes that are kind of all inter-connected.

1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

2. Opportunities and performance of young players:
In my opinion, we have 7 "veterans" (more than 3 years of experience in the league) that will all be a consistent part of the rotation (Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord/Horford/Schroder/Richardson). After that, I view Kanter as a spot rotation player who will pinch-hit in the rotation when Timelord or Horford are out for whatever reason. Juancho is a swing vet -- I could see him as a 5th starter. I could also see him completely out of the rotation.

Then we have our 4 young players who at least have a shot at rotation minutes (Nesmith/Pritchard/Romeo/Grant). I think it's hard to get more than 9 players significant (16+) minutes in an NBA rotation. That means there is only room for 2 of these 4 young players to get rotation minutes. If Juancho is in the rotation, there is only room for 1 young player to get significant rotation minutes. Again, how this competition shakes out will be fascinating to watch. My opinion is that Pritchard is the "best", most productive player right now. However, he is also the hardest fit on defense to pair with other bench players. If he plays with both Schroder and Richardson off the bench, we would be ridiculously small. Honestly, he fits best with "starter" lineups around Smart/Brown/Tatum, but can Ime find Pritchard those minutes if he doesn't actually start?

Nesmith is the easiest two-way fit on the roster with the vets (due to his shooting potential, off-ball skillset, and size to switch defensively) and would likely be my choice for a 5th starter if I were coaching.

Romeo would appear to be in direct competition with Nesmith/Pritchard. Again, I think there is time for 2 of them but not all 3. While Pritchard is the best offensive fit around the vets, Romeo is the best defensive fit, and Nesmith could be that best 2-way fit.

Grant has a harder path to rotation minutes in my mind. He would have to not only beat out Juancho at his own position, but he would also have to outplay 2 of Pritchard/Nesmith/Romeo to get into a top 9 rotation. I think his best hope is outplay Juancho to the point where he earns spot minutes or fringe rotation minutes when other players are hurt or resting.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #32 on: October 15, 2021, 04:33:21 PM »

Online Vermont Green

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should. 

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #33 on: October 15, 2021, 08:09:38 PM »

Offline W8ting2McHale

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2 years too early, but Brad was pushing for Romeo to have more of a ball handler-point guard role. What if he developed that part of his game over the next year or two?

What does a lineup of:

Rob Williams
Jaysun Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Aaron Nesmith
Romeo Langford

6th man - Payton Pritchard

Look like?

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #34 on: October 15, 2021, 08:18:18 PM »

Offline footey

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #35 on: October 15, 2021, 08:21:12 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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2 years too early, but Brad was pushing for Romeo to have more of a ball handler-point guard role. What if he developed that part of his game over the next year or two?

What does a lineup of:

Rob Williams
Jaysun Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Aaron Nesmith
Romeo Langford

6th man - Payton Pritchard

Look like?
Well, if you ask those that constantly harp about what a horrible drafter Ainge was, I am guessing they will say pretty bad as all are Ainge draft picks.

Me? If all 6 continue to make great strides, that's a hell of a core to winning a title.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #36 on: October 15, 2021, 08:23:23 PM »

Offline W8ting2McHale

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2 years too early, but Brad was pushing for Romeo to have more of a ball handler-point guard role. What if he developed that part of his game over the next year or two?

What does a lineup of:

Rob Williams
Jaysun Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Aaron Nesmith
Romeo Langford

6th man - Payton Pritchard

Look like?
Well, if you ask those that constantly harp about what a horrible drafter Ainge was, I am guessing they will say pretty bad as all are Ainge draft picks.

Me? If all 6 continue to make great strides, that's a hell of a core to winning a title.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #37 on: October 15, 2021, 09:39:12 PM »

Offline Moranis

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2 years too early, but Brad was pushing for Romeo to have more of a ball handler-point guard role. What if he developed that part of his game over the next year or two?

What does a lineup of:

Rob Williams
Jaysun Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Aaron Nesmith
Romeo Langford

6th man - Payton Pritchard

Look like?
Well, if you ask those that constantly harp about what a horrible drafter Ainge was, I am guessing they will say pretty bad as all are Ainge draft picks.

Me? If all 6 continue to make great strides, that's a hell of a core to winning a title.

Exactly what I was thinking.
The ultimate success of the Celtics depends on how high Tatum reaches as a player and to a much lesser extent where Brown ends up.  Boston goes as Tatum goes.  It has been that way since basically the minute he stepped foot on the floor and continues to remain that way.  Tatum is the key.
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Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #38 on: October 15, 2021, 09:53:55 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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My thoughts on the regular season is that I think I will enjoy this team more than I have in a few years. I do think that our record may surprise people but more than that I think I will like the way the team plays and is coached. I think they will be fun to watch and easy to root for. From the players to the new coaches and even to having Brad in Danny's role I feel as though we have a more likable team across the board. I am excited to have a team I am excited to watch again, if that makes sense.

TP. Pretty much my thoughts. Like what I see thus far.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #39 on: October 17, 2021, 01:01:13 AM »

Offline smokeablount

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Yeah agreed. I think I still might like Nesmith more as a prospect right now, and I don’t think Romeo should definitely start, but I don’t see any legitimate case for Richardson to start over Romeo.
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Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #40 on: October 17, 2021, 09:58:07 AM »

Offline Birdman

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2 years too early, but Brad was pushing for Romeo to have more of a ball handler-point guard role. What if he developed that part of his game over the next year or two?

What does a lineup of:

Rob Williams
Jaysun Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Aaron Nesmith
Romeo Langford

6th man - Payton Pritchard

Look like?
Hopefully Robert Williams will be gone by then..still don’t know why everyone thinks he going be a good starter..3rd stringer more like it..never was a fan of him
C/PF-Horford, Baynes, Noel, Theis, Morris,
SF/SG- Tatum, Brown, Hayward, Smart, Semi, Clark
PG- Irving, Rozier, Larkin

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #41 on: October 17, 2021, 10:54:41 AM »

Offline Goldstar88

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Over who? I don’t see that happening this year or as long as Smart, Schroder and Richardson are on the team.
Quoting Nick from the now locked Ime thread:
Quote
At some point you have to blame the performance on the court on the players on the court. Every loss is not the coach's fault and every win isn't because of the players.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #42 on: October 17, 2021, 11:00:53 AM »

Offline Chef Parish

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Over who? I don’t see that happening this year or as long as Smart, Schroder and Richardson are on the team.

Does it matter? What's the over/under on the number of games Romeo will be out due to injury/covid?  60 games?

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #43 on: October 17, 2021, 11:27:28 AM »

Online Celtics2021

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Over who? I don’t see that happening this year or as long as Smart, Schroder and Richardson are on the team.

With Horford likely out opening night, I could definitely see a lineup of Smart, Langford, Brown, Tatum, and (hopefully) Williams.  Udoka might like to have veterans like Schröder and Richardson supporting the bench lineups.

Re: Thoughts going into the regular season?
« Reply #44 on: October 17, 2021, 11:30:48 AM »

Offline Goldstar88

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1. 5th starter and trickle-down thoughts on rotation:
It appears that Smart/Brown/Tatum/Timelord will start. I still have no idea who Ime will tab as the 5th starter. You can make legitimate arguments for any of Horford/Schroder/Richardson/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard. That is a crazy 7 players that would not shock me if Ime chose them as a 5th starter. From reading the tea leaves in the preseason, I believe Ime wants to bring Schroder and Richardson off the bench. That still leaves 5 options (Horford/Nesmith/Romeo/Juancho/Pritchard). My hunch is that Ime will start the season bigger with Horford or Juancho as he has talked a lot about size, switchability on defense, and taking advantage of size advantages on offense. Personally, I would prefer starting Nesmith or even Pritchard as I think a catch-and-shoot player at the 2 around our core 4 starters is the greatest need. Nesmith ideally could thread the needle between providing off-ball shooting and having enough size to still switch a ton. I will be fascinated to see the choice for that 5th starter, and if Ime actually does commit to one choice for a long time (he says he wants too, but we seem to have a roster where that 5th spot could be very fluid).

If you are right that they want Schroeder and Richardson off the bench (I have not heard that but it is reasonable), then I think the 5th starter will certainly be Hernangomez.  I don't see Pritchard, Langford, or Nesmith as being ready either in terms of experience or skill to be the most productive with the starters.  With Horford, he may start instead of RWilliams but I don't see him starting with RWilliams.  It could happen, as you say, there are many combinations that could work in different ways, but I don't think Horford and RWilliams works well.

In the end, I think someone of the guards/wings is not going to get the minutes they probably should.

Romeo may be playing himself into opening night starting lineup.

Over who? I don’t see that happening this year or as long as Smart, Schroder and Richardson are on the team.

With Horford likely out opening night, I could definitely see a lineup of Smart, Langford, Brown, Tatum, and (hopefully) Williams.  Udoka might like to have veterans like Schröder and Richardson supporting the bench lineups.

Yeah, I just can’t see Langford starting over vets like Schroder or Richardson.
Quoting Nick from the now locked Ime thread:
Quote
At some point you have to blame the performance on the court on the players on the court. Every loss is not the coach's fault and every win isn't because of the players.