The Celtics have opened the regular season with a pair of dominant wins this week, cementing their spot as the favorite to repeat. While there are no big concerns to tackle with this group, lingering questions remain about some areas of the bench. Let’s dive into those questions and much more in this week’s mailbag. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
Hello Brian. If the celtics blow out opponents often, should Baylor get some run on the court? How should the backup big rotation beyond Kornet go to start this season, is more Tillman than Queta likely? — CsFanMan66
He is certainly going to get some opportunities early in the year in fourth quarters if this type of domination keeps up. I was honestly a little bit stunned he didn’t get into the Knicks game in the fourth quarter but Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard wanted the extra reps at getting that 3-point record clearly. Scheierman will get his chances in garbage time in the coming weeks but the guess here is that he gets plenty of more reps in Maine before we see him getting any meaningful minutes with the big club. At this point, he just needs the reps after a tough preseason and he will get plenty more of those in the G-League rather than having to watch in Boston.
As far as the big man rotation goes, what we saw opening night is a good indicator of where things stand. Kornet and Tillman are both going to play and how they are utilitized will be dependent on matchups. Tillman will likely get more time against bigs that can shoot from the perimeter, while Kornet will see action against more traditional centers. We saw a bunch of double bigs looks in the opener too and that should continue. Queta looks to be the odd man out for now but that will change on nights when Al Horford isn’t playing. With Kristaps Porzingis not set to return for another two months, there should be plenty of minutes to go around within that group.
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Who’s a more important bench player for this team’s future, Pritchard or Hauser, given replacements like Lonnie Walker for PP or Jordan Walsh / Scheierman for Hauser? — Mr Positive
I would say it is Hauser at this point, just because of the gravity he provides with his spacing and his size. He held up quite well defensively during the playoffs last year even when his shot wasn’t falling and his size makes him less of a liability than Pritchard in those key spots.
In all honesty, I would be a little bit stunned if either of them are moved in the long-term given their modest salaries. Sacrifices will ultimately have to be made with this group depending on what type of bill ownership is willing to pay. However, when the cost of keeping both of those guys combined is less than one of the second-tier starters, a strong case can be made to keep them around and move them into bigger roles if necessary if cost cutting needs to be done.
A guy like Walker or Walsh/Scheierman may be a replacement for the rotation off the bench but it could very well be Pritchard or Hauser moving into a starting role a couple years down the road depending on what pieces remain and how they fit into the team’s budget at that point.
In your opinion does this Celtics roster possess more talent than last year’s squad? Either way, what’s the differences? — Ed H
With 13 players returning it’s hard to think anything but yes given the growth this group can experience. A couple players may be on the downside of their careers (Al Horford, Jrue Holiday) but almost everyone else is young or within their prime. That fact should allow for plenty of growth within the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White that should surpass last season. The numbers may not be as good but the all-around aspects of their game are just getting better at this point.
The biggest area of growth I expect is simply the continuity. There is no learning curve about how to play with each other anymore, which is something that had to be worked through last year with Porzingis and Holiday. The end result is some of the romps we are seeing against undermanned (Wizards) or inexperienced (Knicks) groups together. The Celtics know how to pick teams apart offensively and are only going to get better at it with time.
