How to Build a Team - Roster Composition

[Vermont Green]

My contention is that there is a very well established formula or blueprint that has been used by most of the top teams over time.  There are variations and exceptions of course but I believe there are 3 key roles that are generally at the start of any good team:

Ball Handler/PG/Combo Guard
Wing - Primary Scorer
Big - With Skill

You can list team after team that fits this:

Johnson - Bird - McHale
Magic - Worthy - Kareem
Wade - LeBron - Bosh

Even more recent champions or finalists:

Holiday - Middleton - Giannis
Murray - Porter - Jokic
Curry - Thompson - Green
Curry - Durant - Green
Irving - LeBron - Love
Lowry - Butler - Adebayo

Most of these teams than have a secondary G/F scorer and a defensive big to round them out.  This was Ainge and Parrish in the case of the 1980's Celtics.

Right now, the Celtics have:

Holiday - Tatum - Porzingis

This is exactly to the formula/blueprint.  This is an improvement over last season with Smart - Tatum - Horford.

Beyond the current core 3 (not necessarily the best three), we are going with White and Brown.  I would argue that Brown is best suited to be that secondary G/F scorer although White would not be bad in that role.  Or White could be the primary guard in place of Holiday and could fit that role, although not as good.  What this group is missing is the defensive minded big role.  Most teams, even the really good teams, don't fit the blueprint exactly, there is always variation, but the blueprint still works.

Has the blueprint changed or evolved?  I don't think it has.  I don't think our roster balance is ideal.  Tatum and Porzingis are awesome as the primary wing and big.  But ideally, we really only should have 2 of Holiday, Brown, and White.  Some are concerned that Brown and Tatum are not a good match.  I don't see that as a problem but the balance is off a little.  We kind of have 1.5 ball handlers (Holiday and White), 1.5 secondary GF scorers (Brown and White), the best primary wing in the league (Tatum), a very skilled big (Porzingis), but no defensive minded big, at least not in what is currently the core unit.

Now to be clear, "not ideal" does not mean not good.  This unit is doing just fine, obviously.  Brown, Holiday, and White are all very good players.  It is working, there is just some overlap.

[Surferdad]

Good post!  I just hope this thread doesn’t devolve into another “trade JB” thread.  Clearly the team needs another big but it doesn’t have to be a starter nor should they trade JB for that purpose.

[michigan adam]

Hortford sort of is the defensive minded big in his current role.  I agree there needs to be another big for depth, although it can be scorer/rebounder or defense/rebounder.  Either would be fine on this roster.

[timpiker]

What's mostly different is that the Centers don't have to score much and you need 3 or 4 3pt shooters in the game at all times.

[Vermont Green]

Interesting game last night.  Tatum was -1 when on the court without Brown and Brown was +7 when on the court without Tatum.  That is a small sample size but shows the value of having a second high level scoring wing as part of the roster composition.  When on the court together, they were -3.

Horford and Porzingis together were -3 in about 10 minutes. 

White and Holiday together were -5.  Just Holiday +3, just White +4.

So for this one game, good we had Brown as a secondary wing scorer, the 2-big line up with Horford as the second big did not do all that well, and the team played better with only one of White or Holiday on the court vs. having both on the court.

I am curious about this as I describe above (in probably too much detail) because based on the old-school blueprint, I see White and Holiday as overlapping, much more so than I see Tatum and Brown overlapping.  Both White and Holiday are very good players.

[ScoobyDoo]

If Chicago is blowing it up, trade Pritchard, and two of Brissett, Svi or Stevens (to make the numbers work), along with a first round pick and two seconds, or two first round picks (we do not need draft picks right now, we need players who can help win a ring - today), for Drummond and Alex Caruso.

Then use you $6mm trade exception, whatever other trade exceptions we have and/or vet min contracts to pull in a wing and a back up PF at the trade deadline and/or buyout market.

Porzingis, Drummond, Horford, Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, Hauser and Caruso become your first nine players.

Trade deadline/buyout wing and PF become your 10th and 11th players.

One of Stevens, Brissett or Svi, and Kornet and Queta become your 12th, 13th snd 14th players.

Porzingis | Drummond |
Tatum | exception or vet min PF | Horford
Brown | exception or vet min Wing
White | Hauser
Holiday | Caruso

That team can win rings and you have Drummond’s massive frame to throw at the biggest centers.

That team can also stay together and compete for the next 4-6 years if it works well - based on their ages.