Roster Watch / Projected Line Ups

[gouki88]

I don't understand why we try to figure out starting, but not ending lineups, which are a lot more critical, especially to this team.

I expect we'll see Brogdon and only one big in crunch time more often than not.

The closing lineup will almost certainly be Smart-Brogdon-Brown-Tatum-Horford. Unless Horford has declined a bit by next season, in which case Rob closes.

[Csfan1984]

Closing lineup should be a fluid situation game to game. While starters should be more predictable (hopefully).

[Vermont Green]

Last season, the Celtics' most used line up (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, RWill) was also the best line up (+177).  That makes sense to me.  You want your best line up out there the most minutes.  That is pretty much true for any team.  My question is, if that is your best unit, why wouldn't you close with that same unit?  Or if it isn't your best unit, why do you play it the most minutes?

For example PHO, their most used line up was Paul, Booker, Bridges, Crowder, Ayton (this was also their starting line up).  It was a very good line up at +98 for the season.  It was also their most used line up in the 4th quarter and a very solid +42 in the 4th.  So is was their "closing" unit.

I am going to assume that the 5-man line up of Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, RWill is going to be a very good unit again this year, probably the best unit.  I don't understand this theory that you should close with some unit other than your most used unit.  Now make note that I am not saying starting unit, I am saying most used unit (for the Celtics last season, this was one in the same but it is not always for all teams), so people can avoid getting hung up on "starting".

So if you have a unit that plays together the most because they are the best unit, why would you "close" with a different unit?  I mean this in general or on average.  There could be an argument for a given game where maybe you do something different.  Maybe you are trying to come back from behind and you are changing things up.  But in general, don't you close with your best unit and shouldn't that "best" unit be the unit that plays the most minutes, and in the vast majority of cases, also be the starting unit?