Examining lineup possibilities: Should Celtics keep Jaylen Brown in 6th man role?

The Celtics have overhauled their roster for the second time in three offseasons this summer, bringing aboard nine new players for Brad Stevens to work with, in the aftermath of a disappointing 2018-19 campaign.

Four of the team’s six returning players will be key pieces of the team’s rotation, but there won’t be room for all of them in the starting five this year. Just like last year, Stevens is going to have a tough decision on his hands with this starting group, and it’s evident the wrong choice can have a detrimental effect on a team as evidenced by last year's 10-10 start in the midst of a dysfunctional season.

While a lot of the drama may be out the door next season with Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier gone, the team’s margin of error will be thin for this group — as its best two defensive bigs departed.

There are a few names that seem like locks for the new-look starting five heading into September. Kemba Walker will start. Jayson Tatum feels like a lock. Enes Kanter is sure to get first crack at the starting spot after signing for a discount this offseason. After that? There are two remaining open spots for three candidates: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward.

Today, we’ll take a final look at the last combination that Stevens could use within that trio to get a sense of what direction the team could be leaning.

Part 1: Examining lineup possibilities: Should Celtics bring Marcus Smart off the bench?
Part 2: Examining lineup possibilities: Should Celtics keep Gordon Hayward in 6th man role?

The STARTING LINEUP

PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Gordon Hayward 
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Enes Kanter

POTENTIAL POSITIVES

Spreading out the wing depth: The Celtics are incredibly deep on the wing with Brown, Tatum and Hayward all in the mix but that combination did not complement each other very well in the starting five last year. While there is no question each of those players is set to play 25-30 minutes per game at a minimum with a revamped roster, starting the game with them altogether may not be the best allocation of resources. By bringing Brown off the bench, the Celtics get a versatile two-way player to slow down the best wing scorer on the opponent’s bench who can also provide some scoring punch. That feels like a safer alternative instead of having to rely on a number of unproven or unreliable alternatives (Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards, Semi Ojeleye) off the pine at the wing in addition to secondary scorer like Smart.

More ball handers in the starting five: The Celtics’ offense has a chance to be elite this season with the proper mix of personnel and a step forward from wings like Hayward and Tatum. With a pick-and-roll maestro at the helm in Walker along with a strong rim-running in Enes Kanter, a reliable scoring play will always be available to Boston in this starting group. However, keeping a pair of ball handlers on the floor next to Walker in Hayward and Smart to begin games should open up plenty of doors for Brad Stevens. Walker can be used as a scoring weapon off the ball in this regard and some of the offensive onus can be taken off of him, which should help him to ramp up his defensive intensity. That’s something he did not have the ability to do in Charlotte much thanks to a subpar supporting cast that forced him to exert maximum energy to setup his teammates or himself. Keeping Hayward and Smart alongside him to at least start the game gives the C’s a nice mixing and matching or scorers (Walker, Tatum) and distributors (Hayward, Smart). Perhaps Hayward will return to the former category more this season but this is a grouping that could fit the best.

Brown gets more chances to be a featured scorer against weaker defenders: While it may be a knock-on Brown’s ego to come off the bench for the second straight season, there is little doubt that the role on this roster would come with additional opportunity. Unlike last year when he was fighting off the likes of Terry Rozier for scoring chances off the bench, there would be a far more defined hierarchy with the second unit this time around. A proven 15 point-per-game scorer in Brown could thrive when surrounded by a younger supporting cast that is willing to do the dirty work around him, especially in the frontcourt. Brown seems to be at his best offensively when he has a chance to attack the rim with plenty of regularity and those chances may be fewer to come by in the starting five. An older point guard like Brad Wanamaker may be able to help set the table for Brown or pairing him with one of Smart/Hayward/Walker in the second unit should provide the offense with the extra creator needed to make Brown a focal point. The 23-year-old played his best basketball of the season last year in this role so the case can be made to continue to let him thrive and allow him to stand out as a top sixth man candidate in the East.

POTENTIAL NEGATIVES

Brown may not be pleased coming off the bench in a contract year: Last year’s benching may have softened the blow in this regard but no player with Brown’s talent and track record will be thrilled (at least internally) to come off the bench in a contract year. A starting job carries prestige (even if the minutes end up being relatively equal) and Brown’s confidence level was definitely impacted early last season as he struggled out of the gate. After some encouraging play at the FIBA World Cup, will Stevens try to give him his job back from last year? Or will Brown be willing to be the odd man out among the Hayward/Smart trio for the final two starting spots? Both those guys have been paid big money while Brown is waiting for his first major payday once his rookie deal ends next summer. Stevens will have to tread carefully in this regard to make sure Brown is fully on board if he goes this route since this team isn’t good enough to make noise in the East

Does the starting five need Brown to help guard athletic wings? Smart is one of the best backcourt defenders in the NBA, but he has struggled with speedier guards (like Walker) in the half-court. Tatum is not great at chasing guards on the wing due to his size and he had a bad tendency of overcommitting on closeouts last year. Hayward is one of the smarter defenders you will see for his size but his post-injury limitations last season made quicker wings a tough matchup for him last year. All of this is a long way of wondering whether the C’s starting five defense will need someone with Brown’s combination of length and athleticism in order to combat speedy guards and potentially small-ball 4s down low. Brown did some nice work as a power forward for Team USA and he could be an asset on that front with the starters as well if they end up playing three wings at the 2-4 spots.

Who runs the second unit? There are ways around this issue if Brown comes off the bench (i.e. one of the ball handlers heads to the bench six minutes into each half) but Stevens has a history of trying to create second units filled with four bench players. Boston’s depth this year creates that as a likely scenario again. Bringing Hayward or Smart off the bench as a sixth man eliminates this question entirely as both are capable of running the point for the second unit. If Brown comes off the bench, things get a little bit more uncertain if Stevens wants to keep the starters together for big minutes. Wanamaker could certainly take command of a reserve point guard role with a strong camp. Edwards will get his chances but he’s not a distributor at all, making him more of a scoring guard. Brown follows the same blueprint so there is going to need to be some careful orchestration of rotations if Boston’s best ball handlers all start.

Will we see it opening night?

This is probably my preferred choice for a lineup to at least start the season. Taking the reins off of Brown with the bench unit should help the team maximize his offensive upside and the rotation should be able to be manipulated enough to keep a reliable ballhandler on the floor with Brown at all times in the second unit. With that said, Stevens has always enjoyed bringing Smart off the bench whenever possible. It will be tough to push him into that role yet again based on his impact from last season. It’s all going to come down to training camp in my mind. If the Brown/Tatum/Hayward grouping meshes with Walker, Smart heads to the bench. If not, Brown will be back in a sixth-man role, a spot that may actually help him shine the most with this group.