With opening night only 6 days away, Ime Udoka has yet to finalize his starting lineup to begin the season. He has stated that he wishes to keep the starting lineup the same every game, and not shift things around based on matchups, as his predecessor Brad Stevens did, so his decision will play a significant role on how the season goes. There’s still one more preseason game for potential starting candidates to make their case, so perhaps the coaching staff is waiting until after to make any final decisions. Before I get into the three potential starting lineups I could see the Celtics going with, I believe 3 spots are already locked up for Smart, Tatum, and Brown. Tatum and Brown do not need any explanation, and for Smart, he’s simply the best option we have for the point guard position. Excellent defense, chemistry with the Jays, a leader on the court. Smart seems to be the obvious choice for the 1.

Lineup 1: Double Bigs

This starting lineup would consist of Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob, and Horford. This lineup is a defensive nightmare. These are all players who have played with each other. Having two bigs in the middle will allow Brown and Tatum to have size mismatches against most team’s 2s and 3s. I believe this is the most likely lineup Ime will put out to start the season. He’s mentioned that he likes how this lineup has been performing in practices, and the lineup performed well in the second preseason game against the Raptors. This lineup also provides plenty of floor spacing, as everyone except Rob is a threat behind the arc. Hell, even Rob has expanded his range a bit to the midrange.

Lineup 2: Nesmith Instead of Rob

This starting lineup would consist of Smart, Nesmith, Brown, Tatum, and Horford. Nesmith has been the star of the summer league and preseason, showcasing a smoother shot from behind the arc, and the same hustle and defensive prowess he had last year. Similar to the first lineup, this would not be a fun lineup to try to score against. Not only would you have capable wing defenders in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, you’ll have Horford manning the middle, and Smart and Nesmith flying around bothering the guards. Also, this lineup would feature five players capable of hitting threes, so ideally this would spread the defense wide open for the Jays to attack.

Lineup 3: Nesmith Instead of Horford

This starting lineup would consist of Smart, Nesmith, Brown, Tatum, and Rob. Again, if the first lineup isn’t what Ime puts out opening night, I fully believe in Nesmith to start in at the two. Even though I would prefer Rob coming off the bench than Horford, I believe if the coaching staff were to go in this direction, the philosophy behind it would be Horford’s leadership being more valuable to the second unit than it would be to the first. That would make the second unit Dennis, Richardson, Romeo, Henangomez, and Horford, not too shabby.

Again, assuming Brown and Horford are back for opening night, I fully expect the first lineup to be the starting lineup. A defensive nightmare with great offensive players. Can’t argue too much with that.