The biggest headline entering the Boston Celtics' 2014 season will no longer be the trade rumors surrounding a trade of Rajon Rondo, but instead the battle to replace him. No, the point guard has not been dealt elsewhere. He is currently out for upwards of eight weeks with a broken hand that will keep him on the bench for the start of the season, giving the Celtics a huge hole to fill on the court. With several backcourt options, who is leading the race to start as training camp gets underway.
The Celtics have some options when it comes to taking Rondo's place on the court. There is Avery Bradley who has seen time as both a point guard and shooting guard. Phil Pressey does not have much experience, but could be promising. Evan Turner was signed in the offseason, having seen time at the position. Rookie Marcus Smart is unproven, but viewed as the future. So who does Brad Stevens want getting the start?
There are conflicting reports regarding who is the best option to step in for Rondo. Smart is viewed as the future of the franchise, but his rookie status makes someone else possibly the better option. The Boston Globe reported last week that Stevens liked the idea of starting Turner at the spot. He has already noted that Bradley will not be the starting point guard as he prefers the veteran play more shooting guard than anything else. Turner has experience and despite his disaster season with the Indiana Pacers last year, Stevens has confidence in his abilities.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England is reporting that while Stevens may like Turner, Smart has impressed at the start of training camp and has moved ahead on the list to replace Rondo. The head coach is being cautious when it comes to making preseason lineups, but Smart could be sneaking up as an immediate starter for Boston. Stevens is not jumping to any conclusions.
"I think that I've got a pretty good idea about who the top eight to 10 guys are right now," Stevens said, via ESPNBoston.com. "But how they all fit -- starters, subs and who complements who -- I'm still feeling out. It's a lot like, there's some guys that are clearly in our best offensive lineup, there are other guys who are clearly in our best defensive lineup and there's probably going to be some mixing and matching.".
Smart is currently suffering from a minor groin injury which might keep him out of some of the preseason games. That might be the only thing that prevents Smart from being an immediate starter his rookie season. If he gets healthy quickly, he might be the favorite over the remaining players on the roster.