As the regular season gets closer, the Boston Celtics are still fine tuning their roster and who will occupy their starting five spots. With two quality point guards and five big men for four spots, head coach Brad Stevens has some decisions to make for the team. With just one preseason game left, players are going to do all they can to prove they can be the difference maker for the Celtics.
The battle between Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart has been an entertaining one. Smart is a quality defensive-minded point guard while Thomas has shown he can make something out of nothing. In terms of stats, Thomas is winning the race but he insisting that he does not mind coming off the bench if that is where the team wants him. Stevens simply likes the creativity Thomas brings to the court for the Celtics.
"First of all, I thought he'd really impact our team," Stevens said, via ESPN.com. "I thought his ability to get into the paint would be like a shot in the arm for our team. From an efficiency standpoint, on the offensive end of the floor, both at the end of last year and through the first four preseason games, he's just playing at such a high level; he's such a good fit. I think that I thought he'd have a huge impact, but I think he's probably --- and my expectations were high -- but I think he's probably been at the top of those at least."
Thomas is doing all of the right things to earn the starting spot over Smart, but Stevens has yet to make a call on the decision. The same can be said for the big men on the roster. The Celtics are trying to figure out the best way to work in David Lee, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger. It is a lot of bodies for just a few spots. If the preseason is an indicator, Zeller and Lee will be the starters while Johnson is thriving off the bench. Sullinger might have the biggest question mark around his name as he is eligible for a contract extension now. The power forward is downplaying the idea of a battle between the players.
"I'm not here to make it a rivalry between me, Amir, Tyler, Kelly, Jonas [Jerebko] or D-Lee," said Sullinger, via ESPN.com. "My biggest thing is I just want us to win. If that's me cutting back my minutes, that's me cutting back my minutes, but the ultimate goal is to win basketball games."
Sullinger will make the final roster for Boston, but the chances he pops up in mid-season trade talk is high. His contract makes him an easy target. If he stays healthy, plenty of teams might take interest in his talents.