POLL - Which top 6 guy is 6th man?

[dannyboy35]

Ideally we'd have another solid rotation-level big.  Then Horford would start and White would be the super sub.

But, we don't have that player.  Use that TPE, Brad and Wyc.

  Do you have a top 3 in that hypothetical scenario. ( Sorry I know there’s probably a thread on this.)

[smokeablount]

Ideally we'd have another solid rotation-level big.  Then Horford would start and White would be the super sub.

But, we don't have that player.  Use that TPE, Brad and Wyc.

Last night in the Warriors/Kings game, Trayce Jackson Davis looked the part of a young player that could’ve played this role. He was making play after play and finished with 13-10 to Sabonis’s 12-10.

I like Walsh but TJD looks useful right away as a big that would allow us equal flexibility in bringing Al or White off the bench.

I like Walsh, but I know a lot of draft heads were calling for TJD and he was available before we traded our pick one too many times.

[Who]

I am starting to like the idea of Jrue Holiday coming off the bench.

I like having Horford start to keep the twin big defensive minded more physically imposing starting unit. I also like letting the old player start games rather than come in cold off the bench.

My first inclination was therefore for D White to come off the bench as the 6th man but I prefer Jrue to D White. The starting lineup already has loads of scoring with Jaylen, Tatum and Porzingis. The lower usage D White would be a better fit playing off of them.

Jrue is the better creator, shot creator & playmaker, so he is better fit to coming in and playing with less talented groups while taking more of an offensive leadership role than D White is capable of doing.

[celticinorlando]

Al. It gives them a big and a point guard off the bench. Start Al and you have 2 point guards and no big off the bench.

Holiday is too good to be relegated to the bench.

[Surferdad]

Al. It gives them a big and a point guard off the bench. Start Al and you have 2 point guards and no big off the bench.

Holiday is too good to be relegated to the bench.

Ditto to both of those thoughts. Plus, having Holiday/White backcourt provides plenty of defense at the point-of-attack so double-big is less important.

[Celtics2021]

Al. It gives them a big and a point guard off the bench. Start Al and you have 2 point guards and no big off the bench.

Holiday is too good to be relegated to the bench.

Ditto to both of those thoughts. Plus, having Holiday/White backcourt provides plenty of defense at the point-of-attack so double-big is less important.

Apparently Holiday and White would only be the 5th starting backcourt in league history with both members having been All-Defense the prior season.

[keevsnick]

Al, mostly because the backup center position is a little week and he's old so they should be trying to keep his minutes down anyway.

[ETNCeltics]

You actually put Tatum and Brown in the poll and someone actually picked Tatum....

[Birdman]

 White…got to have 2 bigs in frontcourt, Tatum not a PF

[Rikibellevie]

I think it will be both Horford AND White. Horford will play the less minutes but will start and may finish againqt teams with size or superstar at the 4, which make a few team. I prefer Holliday as a clear starter AND finisher because with Brogdon and Smart out WE need his playmaking and expérience.

Not a Big deal all of our big6 will play Big minutes, hopefully not too much for our durability, Mazzula has to imagine and create some new bench guys with unproven NBA level PO guys liké Pritchard, Hauser, Brisset or some players bring by Brad.

[michigan adam]

I think its AL most of the time with a few exceptions.  Teams like the bucks will demand a double big lineup to counter theirs.  basically teams that have a stud muscular PF in addition to a serviceable big.  There are not many of those situations.  Otherwise I think you have to protect Al due to his age, and the lack of big depth.  Looked at another way, I'd rather see more time of JH, DW and PP and less with Kornet. They will play both big and small this year as position versatility is one of this teams strengths, but until/unless they pickup another experienced big I think they protect the position a little by going small more often.   

[ozgod]

Joe doing his best to head off any discussion of who in the top six misses out on a starting spot, and any possible hurt feelings or bruised egos resulting from that. I'm sure he doesn't want a repeat of 2018 and all the dissatisfaction with Terry, Jaylen, Gordon and others being told they weren't starting because there were only 5 starting spots.

Mazzulla played most of the regulars as the club has five days off before their season opener. And when Mazzulla makes an unsolicited point during a media session, it means something’s burning on his mind. This time, he implored observers not to blow the starting lineup out of proportion.

The Celtics essentially have six starters for five spots — Tatum, Brown, White, Porzingis, Horford and Holiday. He has brought Holiday and Horford off the bench during the preseason and said he could alternate lineups depending on the matchup.

“They’re not our starters,” Mazzulla said. “They’re our first five guys to start the game from (minutes) 12 to 7. We can’t get into this narrative of Al sacrificing, Jrue sacrificing. I have to sacrifice, our assistants have to sacrifice. All 17, 18 players are going to be asked to do things they don’t want to do. If we want to win, we all have to lose at something. We’re all going to lose a little bit of ourselves and that is the goal.

“That’s the narrative. I think all of our guys are open minded to understand that if we want to win together, we have to lose individually at stuff. That’s the route we’re going to take.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/19/sports/celtics-end-preseason-resounding-note-dominating-hornets/

Of course, I expect it to be a topic of conversation for the whole year 

[Surferdad]

You actually put Tatum and Brown in the poll and someone actually picked Tatum....

Now it's gone up to 3 people who picked Tatum.    Plus, somebody wants our highest paid player (Jrue, this season only) to come off the bench. 

[Who]

A lineup without Jaylen would be nice

G: Jrue
G: D White
F: Tatum
F: Horford
C: Porzingis

Tatum gets to the be the man. Zinger and Jrue get to be 2nd and 3rd option. Team orientated glue guys in D White and Horford. Jrue a good glue guy as well. Perhaps the most team orientated unit of the main 6 guys.

Jaylen super scorer off the bench.

I don't think Jaylen would ever take the job. I don't necessarily have a problem with that either. Like Pippen said, Pippen could never have done what Manu did. He could never accept coming off the bench. He had to start. Jaylen would be reasonable in feeling the same way. I said in a previous game thread, I do not think Jaylen is wired for the idea of "team success at all costs" but more towards an idea of "team success with me in a leading role team-wise & league wise [individual fame, individual accolades]".

I wonder whether Jrue or Jaylen would do better as a 6th man. Jaylen is the better scorer but Jrue is the better playmaker and create easier opportunities for less talented 2nd unit players. I expect Jrue would actually be better as a 6th man than Jaylen would be due to this. That said, I also think the starting lineup is better (more team orientated) with Jrue in it than with Jaylen in it also.

[Redz]

I'd like to see Tatum & Porzingis on the court together as much as possible.  Also White & Holliday together.  However you slice the rest of it up, I'd like to the see the highest percentages of the time those two pairs spend on the court with their "partners".