Why the Boston Celtics need to start getting used to a potential playoff rotation

Their top six may be the best in the Association so far this season, but are they confident in seven through nine?

With the 2023-24 NBA season officially at the halfway point for the Boston Celtics, some league analysts are suggesting that the team ought to be tightening its rotation a bit in anticipation of the 2024 postseason. Their top six may be the best in the Association so far this season, but as Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley points out, “they could still have questions about … whether anyone else (on the team) can hang in a playoff rotation.”

“Sam Hauser’s shot is helpful to have, but is there any worry about opponents exposing him on the defensive end?” asks the B/R analyst. “Is Payton Pritchard playable given his lack of size (6-foot-1, 195 lbs) and athletic limitations? Will teams exploit Luke Kornet’s limited mobility away from the basket?”

“Answering these questions will allow the front office to figure out what—if anything—this roster needs,” he continues.

And it is a safe bet that Boston needs a bigger forward by their own admission and could perhaps also use some more depth in the frontcourt as well.

But Buckley is not wrong that the team may want to start shortening their rotation to give run to players like Pritchard and Hauser to see if they don’t need more help for their potential postseason reserve roles.

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