Smart will be the primary back-up PG quite simply because there is no one else worth playing there for anything more than spot minutes here and there.
It's a valid argument, I think, and despite the fact that Smart was virtually always on the floor with a point guard last year. It will be interesting to see how this works out in November and December especially.
Clearly the coaching staff prefer Smart on the floor with a point guard. So "no one else worth playing there for anything more than spot minutes here and there", as you put it, is very much subject to change.
Three options emerge:
1) More minutes for Kemba. Sub-optimal, as the coaching staff have also demonstrated a consistent distaste for playing anyone long minutes - but a minute here or there would help to close the gap, and since Walker is so good off the ball, we'll certainly see plenty of Walker/Smart combinations.
2) Brad Wanamaker joins the rotation as eighth or ninth man. Wanamaker/Smart was rarely seen last year; when Wanamaker was in he mostly had the ball. But he's an excellent 3-pt shooter (led the team!) so perhaps he could play "shooting guard"/secondary ballhandler with Smart.
3) Carsen Edwards ascends. I'm not going to go on about this guy again - bottom line, he's going to break into the rotation this year. Your prediction of spot minutes for him may well be accurate for November/December, however. But this guy has got a golden opportunity to back up Kemba and be the eighth man.
I hate being wrong as much as the next self-anointed NBA scout, but Carsen is IT with defense. There, I said it.
And because I think Smart will be the primary back-up PG that opens up minutes for Langford that he wouldn't otherwise have because someone needs to play SG next to Smart (or Walker when Brown/Smart are on the bench).
I doubt it. Your argument has logic to it, but even if, going against the precedent of the last few years, the coaching staff play Smart at "point guard" - by the same logic that means more minutes for Brown, Hayward, and Tatum.
Spot minutes for Langford, not rotation. Especially in November and December, he gets DNP-CD'd regularly.
Plus, the simple truth is lottery picks almost always get consistent playing time. There is a reason they are a lottery pick.
I think that your logic is backward, but in any case your "simple truth" is anything but simple. Lottery picks tend to go to the poorer teams; but not only is Boston top 4 (and was last year) in the conference, it is especially loaded at the wings. I don't see how you get around that.
And, add to that the fact that he's post-surgical and needs major "surgery" on his jump shot as well.
I'd be very surprised if Langford doesn't get consistent minutes this year (not a ton of them, but consistently plays with a set role every game).
No, we won't see much of him. The team is too interested in winning games. But stuff happens during a season, so who knows?
And I still keep coming back to the, if Tatum isn't the PF (or 2nd big or whatever you want to call that position) then who the heck is.
Tatum is not in any sense a big. Teams typically nowadays play two bigs or a big and a swing.
I think you've got the cart before the horse with these positions. The coaching staff are trying to win matchups, not fill pre-existing roles.
There is literally no one else that the team should feel good about playing in that spot for long periods of Tatum. It is basically Tatum or a bunch of players that have no real business playing more than a few minutes at a time.
I'm aligned with you on putting Tatum on bigger players, and on starting him at the "Power Forward".
The alternatives, as I see it are:
1) Ojeleye. He's got the weight and lower body strength to guard bigger players; at 241 he's a true swing, in other words, who was backing up Marcus Morris (who played that role last year). He moved his game forward significantly last season, and there isn't anyone in front of him for this role; so if the coaching staff don't want Tatum guarding the likes of Al Horford and Blake Griffin, Semi is the logical choice. We will see plenty of Ojeleye.
2) Robert Williams III. We'd call him a big rather than a swing, but he's got the ability to cover a lot of ground, and he's got a future as a phenomenal rim protector in the bargain. Clearly the Boston brass see a brilliant future for him, and the fact that the current lineup has a big opening for him bodes well for his minutes. Rotation by the All-Star break.
3) Grant Williams is Ojeleye's primary competition. I like this guy a lot. He needs work on his body, but he's already moving well, plays physical, and has the tools to be a rotation swing.
Ainge and company had an outstanding draft, I think. But the outcomes for those draftees, at least this season, hinge more on opportunity than talent. The problem for Langford is opportunity; Edwards has a role waiting for him if he can take it; Williams less so; Waters may never get an opportunity for rotation minutes with the Celtics.