Will Celtics get a look at healthy rotation before NBA playoffs? – NBC Sports Boston

[ad_1]

The Boston Celtics have rarely been at full strength this season.

Boston’s preferred starting five of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday have played a little more than 300 minutes together over 20 games. Boston’s top six — adding in Al Horford — has been available just 16 times. The Celtics have had their top 10 — adding in Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta — available just 12 times over 68 games.

And it doesn’t appear those numbers will grow by very much before the playoffs arrive.

Brown is set to miss Tuesday’s visit from the Brooklyn Nets due to a knee impingement. Boston hasn’t had its preferred starting five available since February 23, a rare day when the team had its entire top nine available and leaned on that playoff core in a triumph over the New York Knicks.

Thirteen games remain after Tuesday’s tilt with Brooklyn. But that includes two back-to-backs. Boston will almost certainly rest players on both ends of those sets, eliminating four more possibilities to see the full playoff rotation. What’s more, one of those back-to-back features Orlando and New York, two teams that are two of the more likely playoff opponents, so there might be a value in playing it close to the vest then, anyhow.

Boston closes out the regular season with a home-and-home against Charlotte on April 11 and 13. Last year, in a similar setup, Boston rested much of its veterans over its final two home games, even with nearly a full week off before the playoffs due to the play-in tournament.

If Boston elects to do the same this season, that would essentially leave seven games where the Celtics could potentially trot out their top nine bodies to the finish line of the regular season:

March 21 at Utah

March 26 at Phoenix

March 29 at San Antonio

March 31 at Memphis

April 2 vs. Miami

April 4 vs. Phoenix

April 6 vs. Washington

There is only one surefire playoff team in that mix: Memphis (fifth in the West). And the Grizzlies will have to balance playing the front end of their own back-to-back with a…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/2025-playoffs-rotation-jayson-tatum-kristaps-porzingis/696806/?partner=yahoo

Author :

Publish date : 2025-03-18 11:07:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.