There is no pure PG on the roster.
Davison is, I think, or as close as it comes in today's game. But you probably were thinking, as I do, that he won't crack the rotation.
The only 2 centers you could trust to play meaningful minutes in meaningful games are unlikely to make it through the season healthy.
You've got a point.
Boston needs to fill several spots with guys that can actually play.
The team just isn't very deep and doesn't have great roster construction.
There are just 2 guys you could trust to play SF (Tatum and Brown are awesome, but they are going to miss some games - especially Brown based on history).
I think the problem with your argument is that you assume that there are pre-existing spots that must be filled. Surely Boston showed last year that they didn't need to do that to succeed. In fact, they got rid of the more standard-issue point guard at the deadline to double down on the Marcus Smart prototype, more or less, by subtracting Dennis Schroeder and adding Derrick White.
The game has evolved, but it has always been true at this level that mismatches win games. The two-center lineups that Boston used last season, for example, were hard to score on but hard to guard as well; and that included Theis/Horford as well as TL/Horford. I realize that this thread seems to show that people think that Horford played "power forward" last year; but that's the prejudice that you're filling slots.
Apropos, I'd agree with your critique of the roster construction in one single respect: Boston needs a rotation-quality third big. No doubt the Celtics Brass reasoned that Theis could be replaced - perhaps not even until the trade deadline; but that a scorer off the bench who could step in as a starter would be a lot harder to find. I think that they had hopes for Nesmith in that direction, but Brogdon is already a finished product.
As for depth, i cannot agree; I'd say that it's a strength, in fact. Just one bottom-line stat: Boston's bench was fourth in net rating last year. That's for the whole season, including a very difficult first three months. As for this season, would you say that Boston has improved its depth? I would.
If the C's enter the playoffs healthy, they could beat anyone, but the regular season is going to be tough this year and they can't play an 8 or 9 man rotation all season like they did the end of last year. It will wear them down and lead to injuries, especially for the older and more fragile players. They need guys that can play big minutes at points during the year and still have the team perform ok.
Ime plays, I think it's fair to say, shorter rotations than Brad did. And Brad (as GM) said that he hoped the team could start quicker this season, as last season they had to give big minutes to Tatum in particular, in order to catch up in the standings. So I would certainly agree that we'd hope for longer rotations to save the wear and tear; tired bodies are more likely to get injured.
If guys like Hauser have to play big minutes, the C's are in trouble.
Have to agree.
If the C's have to go super small with a lineup of Smart, White, Brogdon then the C's are going to be in trouble.
That is not a small lineup! Brogdon weighs 229! Besides which, Smart and White are highly effective guarding up.
If Grant Williams is forced to play SF more than spot minutes here or there, the team is going to be in trouble.
He did not last year, and it's hard to imagine a scenario in which he would. Having said that, I'd have to agree. But it's more likely that the opposite happens, namely that he's got to fill the minutes of Horford or TL.
