The Boston Celtics are still in the offseason shuffle, but the shape of their rotation is starting to come into focus. With a roster that now has to be sorted into ball-handlers, wings, and bigs, the challenge is less about finding talent and more about arranging it in a way that lets the new pieces breathe.
At the top of that puzzle, Derrick White looks like the clear starter at ball-handler, which pushes Payton Pritchard into a bench role. Jayson Tatum will still run plenty of offense, but the Celtics can’t realistically start White and Pritchard together without creating a problem elsewhere. Mike Conley rounds out the ball-handling group, though the team can really count on only two of those guys on a regular basis.
On the wing, the obvious starters are Tatum and Paul George whenever George is available. The third spot is where the fit gets interesting, and Sam Hauser makes the most sense there.
He’s steady, he understands his job, and at nearly 29 years old - his birthday is in December - he’s the kind of veteran who can handle closeouts, make the right read, and punish defenses from deep. With Tatum, White, and George all capable of driving, plus two centers drawing attention inside, Hauser gives Boston the most dangerous spot-up shooter on the floor right away.
The bigs are where the Celtics can get creative. Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson are the two names that matter most there, and while Queta is the more durable and consistent option, Robinson has a specific advantage that makes him the preferred starter here.
There are zero team fouls at the beginning of games, so opponents can’t immediately lean on the “hack-a” approach. If Robinson comes off the bench, a team already in the penalty can foul him and stall Boston’s offense.
Unless Robinson has found a 75% free throw shooting form over the summer, starting him keeps that weapon out of an opponent’s hands.
That doesn’t mean Queta is being pushed aside. He has earned trust, and Joe Mazzulla is known for rewarding players in that position.
But Queta also just landed a big, four-year contract extension this summer, so the Celtics are already committed to him. He’s not losing money or standing by coming off the bench, and if there’s a time to have that conversation, it’s now.
The message is simple: the team values him, he’ll still start whenever Robinson sits, and this setup is about what works best overall.
There’s also a natural fit issue that favors Queta with Pritchard. That pairing works because Queta’s presence around the rim opens up Pritchard’s drive/spin/fadeaway game in the paint non-restricted area, where Pritchard thrived last season. And when defenses step up, Queta has gotten better at sliding along the baseline and giving Pritchard another outlet.
Robinson, by contrast, feels more natural next to Tatum. If Tatum gets blitzed, Robinson becomes the obvious lob target, and his athleticism gives Boston a higher ceiling on those plays than Queta does. That’s part of the appeal of the alignment: each big fits a different creator.
The same logic applies on the wing behind Hauser. Baylor Scheierman is the one I’d want next to Pritchard and Queta, because that group gives him room to be more than a corner spacer.
He’s the more dynamic player, and his secondary playmaking is better served in a unit that needs him to think and create rather than just stand and wait. That leaves Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh in the mix for those minutes as well.
There’s a good chance the Celtics will mix and match heavily with the second unit. A starter or two usually ends up with the bench group, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see two of Scheierman, Gonzalez, and Walsh out there with Pritchard and Queta.
Joe Mazzulla could even pull Tatum around the eight-minute mark of the first quarter so he can open the second. White or George could also be the ones to join that group.
Mike Conley, Luka Garza, and Ron Harper Jr. project as more limited options when the roster is fully healthy, though they’ll have chances when George or Robinson sits. The expectation is that George and Robinson won’t play back-to-backs this season, which should create plenty of opportunities.
Chris Cenac Jr. and Amari Williams can fill in some gaps, but both are expected to spend most of their time in Maine. Dillon Mitchell has not been signed yet, so he is not part of these projections.
The Celtics could still look at all of this differently once the season gets here, and preseason could change the picture again. For now, though, this setup gives Boston a clean starting group and a bench structure that makes sense around it.
It also gives the Celtics their best blend of complementary pieces, while putting players in spots where they can do what they do best. A few egos may need a little managing, but the framework has a chance to bring out the strongest version of this team.
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