Brad, please make Hayward the sixth man

[RJ87]

I think Brown should go to the bench with Smart starting.

Bringing a MAX salary guy off of the bench is unprecedented in today's game. Hayward didn't come here to be that guy.

Heaven forbid we do something "unprecedented."

Whether you like it or not, starting matters to some players. On top of that, this is a league where optics matter. You landed him in free agency in part because you pitched him on a major role and being able to take another step in his career, he goes down with a season ending injury and then he's asked to give up his starting spot?

[Mike Pemulis]

Yes. Please replace Brown with Smart. Brown subs in early for Hayward. Brown will get enough starts when GH rests on back to backs.

[mmmmm]

Aren't most threads that suggest moving a starter to help the bench usually just code for wanting to move their favorite bench player into the starting unit?

Personally, I don't see any such change happening any time soon.   Hayward wasn't signed to a max to come off the bench.   Brad is going to need a lot more evidence than 6 games at the start of the season before he benches anyone.  Not Gordon.  Not Jaylen.  Not any of the starters, barring injury.

Besides, the problems the starters have been having are pretty much all attributable to cold shooting.  The team leads the league in defense and so that clearly isn't the issue and having Gordon in the starting unit isn't hurting our defense.   All the early problems are on offense and due sole to uncharacteristic cold shooting by more players than just Gordon Hayward.

And sheesh, as a demo of the power of small sample statistics, just one game of decent (not great) shooting has jumped the Celtics up out of the basement on offensive rating.  Still bad at #28, but that's better than the deep #30 they were before and likely to improve dramatically by the end of another dozen or so games.

We have another 76 games to go, folks.  Be patient.

[Chris22]

Aren't most threads that suggest moving a starter to help the bench usually just code for wanting to move their favorite bench player into the starting unit?

Personally, I don't see any such change happening any time soon.   Hayward wasn't signed to a max to come off the bench.   Brad is going to need a lot more evidence than 6 games at the start of the season before he benches anyone.  Not Gordon.  Not Jaylen.  Not any of the starters, barring injury.

Besides, the problems the starters have been having are pretty much all attributable to cold shooting.  The team leads the league in defense and so that clearly isn't the issue and having Gordon in the starting unit isn't hurting our defense.   All the early problems are on offense and due sole to uncharacteristic cold shooting by more players than just Gordon Hayward.

And sheesh, as a demo of the power of small sample statistics, just one game of decent (not great) shooting has jumped the Celtics up out of the basement on offensive rating.  Still bad at #28, but that's better than the deep #30 they were before and likely to improve dramatically by the end of another dozen or so games.

We have another 76 games to go, folks.  Be patient.

Our problems with the second unit came from bad shooting from Smart.

It he would just stop shooting threes, it would help.

[moiso]

Yes. Please replace Brown with Smart. Brown subs in early for Hayward. Brown will get enough starts when GH rests on back to backs.

I like this idea a lot more than benching Hayward.  I think it may help.  Smart is probably our best passer and so far he seems like less of a gunner since signing his contract.  If he keeps the shot attempts low I think this is a great idea.

[Ogaju]

Yes. Please replace Brown with Smart. Brown subs in early for Hayward. Brown will get enough starts when GH rests on back to backs.

I like this idea a lot more than benching Hayward.  I think it may help.  Smart is probably our best passer and so far he seems like less of a gunner since signing his contract.  If he keeps the shot attempts low I think this is a great idea.

I agree...it makes for a more balanced team...Brown can lead the second team..

[footey]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

[RodyTur10]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

Our starting lineup from last year was fine as well.

When everybody is healthy we have the center position covered with Baynes, Theis and Williams. Horford can play PF which is more his natural position.

PG: Irving (28), Rozier (20)
SG: Brown (24), Smart (24)
SF: Tatum (28), Hayward (16), Brown (+4)
PF: Horford (24), Morris (16), Hayward (+8)
C: Baynes (20), Theis (16), Williams (+8), Horford (+4)

[footey]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

Our starting lineup from last year was fine as well.

When everybody is healthy we have the center position covered with Baynes, Theis and Williams. Horford can play PF which is more his natural position.

PG: Irving (28), Rozier (20)
SG: Brown (24), Smart (24)
SF: Tatum (28), Hayward (16), Brown (+4)
PF: Horford (24), Morris (16), Hayward (+8)
C: Baynes (20), Theis (16), Williams (+8), Horford (+4)

So was last year’s playoff lineup. Why don’t you sit Kyrie then and start Terry? 

Hayward should start. Once healthy he should play as many minutes as anyone. Dude can ball.

[nickagneta]

We have one of the best bench units in the league with Rozier, Smart, Morris, Theis and Baynes. Once they play together long enough, our starting five will also be on of the best in the league. There is absolutely no reason to change things as Stevens can just use rotational substitutions to have a starter or two play with the bench or a bench player or two play with mostly starters. And in that way he can balance out the minutes and not insult any of the 5 star starters who have all earned spots as starters.

[RodyTur10]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

Our starting lineup from last year was fine as well.

When everybody is healthy we have the center position covered with Baynes, Theis and Williams. Horford can play PF which is more his natural position.

PG: Irving (28), Rozier (20)
SG: Brown (24), Smart (24)
SF: Tatum (28), Hayward (16), Brown (+4)
PF: Horford (24), Morris (16), Hayward (+8)
C: Baynes (20), Theis (16), Williams (+8), Horford (+4)

So was last year’s playoff lineup. Why don’t you sit Kyrie then and start Terry? 

Hayward should start. Once healthy he should play as many minutes as anyone. Dude can ball.

Because I like a balanced unit. Rozier is not good enough as a playmaker to be a great fit with the other starters. The starting five has Irving as primary ball handler and the second unit has Hayward as primary ball handler.

Furthermore you have a nice balance of ball handlers, scorers, shooters, defenders and rebounders in both units.

[gouki88]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

Our starting lineup from last year was fine as well.

When everybody is healthy we have the center position covered with Baynes, Theis and Williams. Horford can play PF which is more his natural position.

PG: Irving (28), Rozier (20)
SG: Brown (24), Smart (24)
SF: Tatum (28), Hayward (16), Brown (+4)
PF: Horford (24), Morris (16), Hayward (+8)
C: Baynes (20), Theis (16), Williams (+8), Horford (+4)

That is way too little MPG for our stars, and probably too many minutes for Williams too

[RodyTur10]

We have one of the best bench units in the league with Rozier, Smart, Morris, Theis and Baynes. Once they play together long enough, our starting five will also be on of the best in the league. There is absolutely no reason to change things as Stevens can just use rotational substitutions to have a starter or two play with the bench or a bench player or two play with mostly starters. And in that way he can balance out the minutes and not insult any of the 5 star starters who have all earned spots as starters.

Hasn't Baynes earned his place by anchoring the best defensive team with the best defensive rating in the league?

I worry that with Irving, Brown, Tatum, Hayward and Horford together some guys get fewer shots than they need to get into the rythm of the game, while that second unit has too many bad or inconsistent shooters.

Apart from that I believe Stevens has a tendency to go too small. While the Celtics have had the best results when Baynes played 20+ minutes, besides that Theis has proven himself as well.

[nickagneta]

We have one of the best bench units in the league with Rozier, Smart, Morris, Theis and Baynes. Once they play together long enough, our starting five will also be on of the best in the league. There is absolutely no reason to change things as Stevens can just use rotational substitutions to have a starter or two play with the bench or a bench player or two play with mostly starters. And in that way he can balance out the minutes and not insult any of the 5 star starters who have all earned spots as starters.

Hasn't Baynes earned his place by anchoring the best defensive team with the best defensive rating in the league?

I worry that with Irving, Brown, Tatum, Hayward and Horford together some guys get fewer shots than they need to get into the rythm of the game, while that second unit has too many bad or inconsistent shooters.

Apart from that I believe Stevens has a tendency to go too small. While the Celtics have had the best results when Baynes played 20+ minutes, besides that Theis has proven himself as well.

No. Baynes was a substitution in the starting lineup for a hurt Gordon Hayward. The team is still the best defense in the league and that's with Hayward starting in 5 of 6 games and Baynes not playing in two games. Baynes is a bench player.

And as I said, your concern of shots available is easily answered through substitution patterns. This is not hockey where you have to have entire line changes. There is no reason to have two completely different lineups, starters and bench. Simply substitute to create a bunch of different lineups mixing starters and bench players.

[RodyTur10]

Our starting lineup is fine. Quit screwing around with it.

Our starting lineup from last year was fine as well.

When everybody is healthy we have the center position covered with Baynes, Theis and Williams. Horford can play PF which is more his natural position.

PG: Irving (28), Rozier (20)
SG: Brown (24), Smart (24)
SF: Tatum (28), Hayward (16), Brown (+4)
PF: Horford (24), Morris (16), Hayward (+8)
C: Baynes (20), Theis (16), Williams (+8), Horford (+4)

That is way too little MPG for our stars, and probably too many minutes for Williams too

Over the first 6 games the players that played more minutes than what I suggest are Tatum (5), Irving (3), Morris (+8), Rozier (3), Ojeleye (5) and Yabusele (4).

Probably less of a difference than you'd have thought. But it shows my preference of playing bigger than Stevens. Also I'd like to develop Williams and do not care too much about Ojeleye and Yabusele. Morris is the biggest victim by downgrading his minutes from 24 mpg to 16 mpg.

Although injuries give more playing time options than can expected on paper. The injury to Theis would increase minutes to players like Morris and Williams.