My roster breakdown as we start the season.

no real surprises I guess, but some may differ on how they see things play out. Feel free to add your own thoughts.

My 2015 Celtics Roster breakdown:
With the roster now set to start the season, I thought it was time for my roster breakdown. I’ll note here that I think barring trade or major injury, that Brad will play a 10-11 man rotation and attempt to wear down opposing teams with his depth. So some players may have lower minutes over the season than we may expect, but some backups may play more. With that here is how I see things today.

C- T. Zeller- Zeller continued to show in the pre-season that he is a solid NBA back up center. He does many of the little things that wins games and has good hands and shooting touch inside. It looks to me like he’s picked up some weight in his legs in the offs-season to go along with the beard. Best to keep his minutes down per game as he can wear down with extended play against stronger big men. He’ll probably start for us this year and I think he’ll log in  about of 1600 minutes.

C/PF- A. Johnson-  One of the big men who will share time at Center with Zeller this year. I actually looked at Toronto’s stats from last year and it looks like Amir played a lot at center there also. He may be the best rim protector on the team, can rebound and score a little as well. I was dismayed when Ainge signed him for $12M, but as usual Ainge knew more about the makeup of the Celtics this season and how he would fit, than I ever would. I think he’ll play around 1600 minutes this year.

C/PF- K./ Olynyk- yet another option that Brad will play at center , though I think most of Kelly’s minutes will be at PF this season. A 3 pt shooting big man, with the ability to pass the ball well, he may never develop the “drive” that turns a player with his lack of athleticism into an all-star. But he should be able to have a long career in the NBA. I think he’ll play around 1400 minutes this year.

PF- D. Lee-  One time all-star who Ainge got for Wallace (another one time all-star). Lee is NOT an all-star player now , however he still has solid skills and is a savvy vet . Like many I have been surprised by Lee’s ability to handle the ball and never knew it was part of his game. I think he’ll remain a starter for Brad along side Zeller this year, as their games seem to mesh well. Keeping his minutes down will make him more valuable as the season progresses. I see him playing around 1800 minutes this year.

PF- J. Sullinger- A lot of Celtic fans seem to be down on Sully, due to his weight/ conditioning issues . And while he has had an uneven pre-season, we have seen the Sully we are used to when he gets minutes. I personally think Sully is similar to a young D. Lee in a lot of ways and if he would forget trying to be a 3 point shooter and work more on his rebounding, scoring inside and passing, he could have a career very similar. I think he’ll be a regular part of Brad’s rotation, though his minutes will down from last year, I see around 1400 minutes this year.

PF- J. Mickey- #33 pick  who I had going late first in the draft, so obviously  I like the kid. He can block shots with the best of them and is willing to do the dirty work inside. However his slender frame may hamper him in the NBA ( there are a lot of similar sixed/built player who lead the NCAA in blocks and never played much in the NBA). He won’t  get much time with our deep roster this year, but might give us glimpse for the future in the D-league this year. I see him playing minimal minutes this year.

PF/SF- J. Jerebko- Paying $5M to Jerebko this year seems like a bit of an overpay, if we see him as a PF. There simply doesn’t seem to be enough minutes there. But Jerebko is an energy guy (which Brad likes) and can hit the 3 ball. I see him getting more of his minutes at SF this year. Even so, it’s hard to see him being any higher than the 11th man in the rotation, as such I see his minutes being limited to around 1000 for the year.

SF- J. Crowder- Ainge signed him to a 5year/ $35M deal in the off-season, showing he sees Crowder as a key player here at least. Classic high energy defender and it seems Brad loves that. I think many Celtic fans under estimate his 3 point shooting. His downside is he really has no other offensive game beside the 3. I would think he would get more rebounds with his strength as well. He appears to be our starting SF  at least this pre-season. I see his minutes for the year around 1800.

SF/G- E. Turner- Ainge gave him a shot last year and Brad found his NBA spot as a point forward it seemed. Turner is guy who does a lot of different things well, but not ONE thing great. I could see him back n the Starting lineup at SF, with Crowder and his energy better utilized off the bench, but we’ll see how it plays out. Either way Turner will be in the rotation and I see him getting around 1800 minutes this year.

SF/SG- J. Young- Ainge and Brad were not going to give up on the youngster just yet, though many fans were ready to dump him.  He has shown some improved play  this pre-season, but still has yet to take the leap that many want to see. He is buried on this deep roster now and I see him only getting minimal minutes this year again.

SG- A. Bradley- I think Bradley has spent this pre-season and camp making a statement that he is ready to be a go-to scorer in the NBA. Every year we have seen growth in Bradley's game in one way or another. Last year he was at times the best scorer on our team, but he was also streaky and didn’t seem to have the “killer instinct” that go to scorers have. I think he WANTS to be that guy and by his pre-season he may become it. IMO, Bradley’s pre-season has been the biggest under the radar play this year. I even still see Celtics fans wanting to dump him in trade scenarios, But I think Bradley and Thomas will compete to be our top scorers this year and Bradley will get all-star recognition this year. I see him playing about 2400 minutes.

SG- RJ Hunter-  Noted sharpshooter coming out of the draft, but we have been surprised by other aspects of his game as well. His ball handling and willingness to at least WORK on the defensive end has been a pleasant surprise to me at least. Seems to be another high BB IQ  ( as is the norm for guys Brad likes) and if he continues to work hard will probably be in the NBA for a while. However I can’t see him getting  much time this year as our roster is loaded. I see him playing about as much as Young this year.

SG/PG- M. Smart-  Like Bradley a guy who continues to improve. He and Crowder can be killers on the floor on the defensive end with their energy and effort. Smart has worked on not only his ball handling, but also his outside shot this off-season it appears. Smart , Bradley and Thomas give us a three guard rotation that may be one of he best in the NBA even THIS season, IMO. I see Smart playing around 2400 minutes.

PG- I. Thomas-  we all know what he can do by now, a catalyst  on offense when he’s on the floor. He always will be a liability on defense due his size, so having either Smart or Bradley on the floor with him is almost a requirement. Uncanny ability to get his shot off inside with the trees, I can’t remember a other player who can do it so well , some have said a young Tiny Archibald.  I see him playing about 2200 mintes

PG- T. Rozier- Has really been out to prove that he deserved to picked as high as he was in this past years draft and has succeeded by most accounts. I am more impressed with his hard work on the defensive end so far than anything else. On a less deep team, he would probably get real minutes this year, but with this teams depth , I can’t see him being anymore than the 11-12 man in the rotation. Though there is a chance that he could play himself  ahead of Jerebko and take some of his minutes. So depending I see him playing minimal minutes up to a maximum or maybe 800.


So right now I see the starters and rotation as:
C- Zeller
PF- Lee
SF- Turner
SG- Bradley
PG Smart
6. Thomas
7. Crowder
8. Johnson
9. Olynyk
10. Sully
11. Jerebko or Rozier
With Young, Hunter and Mickey getting a lot of DNPCD or time in Maine.

Kdp,
Great summary - thanks.
The only thing I disagree is JC vs ET. I think Crowder will get majority of starts especially against teams with dominant SF - he's much better defender than Turner.

AK