
Celtics' lineup puzzle: Who starts, who finishes? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks it down. Boston's potential starting five sparks debate. Karalis proposes Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, Jaylen Brown, Chris Boucher, and Neemias Queta, explaining the offensive firepower and defensive potential. He explores bench depth, suggesting a 10-player rotation with key roles for Baylor Scheierman, Josh Minott, and Luka Garza. The host analyzes finishing lineups for various scenarios, considering both offensive and defensive needs. Karalis emphasizes the importance of experimenting early in the season to find the right combinations. Tune in for an in-depth analysis of the Celtics' roster and how it could shape their upcoming season.
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John Corrales
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John Corrales
Now that Anhrey Simons is sticking around for a while, let's figure this out. Who starts? What's the bench rotation? Who finishes games? It's right now on the Locked on Celtics podcast.
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John Corrales
Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics Podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network where it's your team every day. Your team's the Boston Celtics and I talk about them Monday through Friday. It's free. It's available Everywhere. It's on YouTube. Watch the podcast, get into the comment section. Share your thoughts with your fellow Celtics fans, your everydayers who are with me every day, five days a week, during the regular season, during the playoffs. I'm going to say playoffs, sure. Whenever they play in the weekends. Bonus podcast then. So make sure you are subscribed. I'm John Corrales, beat writer for Boston Sports Journal. I've been covering the Celtics for about 20 years now. I've written a couple books about the team, so I just really enjoy talking about the Celtics and today I'll be talking about the rotation. Let's figure this out together. Who starts who finishes? What do we get in the middle? We'll get to the finishing part in the third segment. We'll figure out the bench rotations in the second segment. But let's get into the potential starting lineups. I, I feel like my, my starting lineup has. My belief in this is starting to, I don't know, waver a little bit. My starting lineup has been Derrick White, Anthony Simons, Jalen Brown, Chris Boucher, Nimius Keita. That's my starting five for now. I'm not saying there aren't arguments for other people, but here's my argument right away for what this is. First of all, you got the perimeter players, White, Simons and Jalen. Obviously, Jalen Brown is the number one option. Anthony Simons is a really good. We could say he's the second option and Derrick White can be the third option. Either way, however you want to say, Derek White second and Simons is third. Either way, it doesn't matter. We know that Jalen's going to get the lion's share and that's going to, I think, open things up where Simons and Derrick White are going to have room to play. I like that little rotation on the perimeter. I like how it lines up the rotations behind it. And I think the double big lineup defensively, having a couple of shot blockers there. Keda, obviously, with the, you know, he's seven feet tall, he can block some shots. He's. He's coming off a good Euro League. Let's. I'm penciling him as a starter. I don't think you could really make a stronger argument for anybody else at this point. But I like boucher at the 4. I think he's a more natural 4. I think he's, he can hit some shots, so you have to pay attention to him in the corners so he can space the floor. It's not like he's Sam Houser. And so that's. That, I think opens up for some debate, but I think Boucher is a guy that you have to at least pay attention to. So that's enough. It's enough space. And you, I mean, you would, he would need to hit some shots, but offensively it's enough space. There's going to be a guy on the floor that can't space. And so whether it's Keita or I don't know, they're going to have to play Garza. Garza can space some, but it's not, not in the same way. They're not going to have the same kind of five out capability. So that's fine. You play, you play Neemi in the dunker spot or in the pick and roll or you know, said just whatever setting screens on the perimeter, I think that's fine. He can put that vertical pressure on, he can go get a lob. So I like right off the bat. I think Tatum, I mean, sorry. Jalen's talent, Simons talent, Derrick White's talent. That's a good perimeter. You get some decent shooting out of Boucher and Keita can, can roll and operate in some of that space and defensively I think that that protects you pretty nicely. I also like, as I've said on this podcast before, I like Peyton Pritchard off the bench. Not because he doesn't deserve to start. He does deserve to start. And if Joe Missoula says I am, I'm rewarding Peyton Pritchard, then I, I don't, I'm not going to argue that. I'm not, this is not like I'm not married to this starting lineup. And I just did a podcast with Chris Forsberg for NBC Sports Boston where we went over this. If we, if we see a starting lineup of Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, Jalen Brown, Sam Houser and Namishkada, totally fine with that. I think that's, you can make the argument that those guys have earned it. I think you get some ball handling, you move Derrick White off the ball. You now have a rotation where Simons is coming off the bench and can be, can get some buckets off the bench for you. I don't like that starting lineup necessarily. I think it takes some of the scoring punch away, but I can see, I can see the argument. So in my starting lineup, I don't have Peyton Pritchard. It's just because I like the rotation of Peyton coming in for Derrick White. First TV timeout, Peyton at the next TV timeout comes in for Jaylen Brown. Then White and Brown are kind of like staggering with one another. Simons is there to carry some of the scoring load, take pressure off of Jaylen Brown. I think why I like Simon so much as a starter is that it prevents you from, prevents the defense from doubling Jalen Brown. And I think that's a big deal. You know, as much as I want to see how Jalen does with drawing a double team, if they do throw a lot of double teams, Adam drawing the double team, accepting, we like to talk about accepting the double team and drawing them away from the, the three point line and then kicking it to a teammate for A four on three. I think that's a very valuable ability for Jalen Brown. I saw him do it last year better than he's ever done it. If he can continue to do it well, then that's going to be a very important element to the Celtics offense. And if he does it enough, then teams are not going to be able to double team him. And, and that will allow, that will allow him a lot more one on one time. So I like Simons to be on the floor with Jalen. So Simons now I think makes it even less likely to double. What are you going to do? Are you going to play four on three with Simons and Derrick White? Like that's. If two of your guys are Simons and Derrick White against your three defenders, you're giving up a bucket because they demand attention and, and they're going to demand so much attention that that makes the Mishkeda better, that makes Chris Boucher better because those two guys are still really good offensive options. Simons in that scenario is an elite offensive option. So I like Simons there to take the pressure off of Jalen. So that's why that's my starting lineup. But like I said, if you want to start Pritchard and move White off the ball so he's a little bit more of a catch and shoot guy than a, than an off the dribble guy, I like that too. Derek White's catch and shoot numbers are really good. That puts Simons, I think, in a position where he can be that second unit's primary scorer. If that's the case and Simons is going to win sixth man of the Year. I really like a Celtic is going to win six man of the Year. Is it Pritchard or is it Simons or, or do they alternate and eliminate each other and maybe A Celtic doesn't win six man of the Year. I don't know how this is going to go. Whatever, whatever the starting lineup is on opening night, it might change based on. On matchups. It may change based on just performance and lineup. Certain things that you think are going to happen don't actually materialize. Like I can in my head have this concept of A, B, C, D. And then the reality is for whatever reason, well, A happened, B never really kind of materialized. C was completely wrong and we never got to D. And so you got to change the lineup. But my starting lineup, I like that group, but I can see the value in. Let's get Sam Houser out there with some more shooting to open up that space. You put a Hauser and Pritchard on there. That's a lot of shooting. Pritchard, Hauser and Derrick White, tons and tons of space. And that just allows you to run middle, pick and roll with Keita and Jaylen Brown. And that also I think has a lot of value. So completely open to that starting lineup and as well or some variation maybe. Maybe it's Pritchard and Boucher instead of Hauser and you. I, I still think a double big defensive lineup is going to be Boston's best option because either Simons or Pritchard or even just, just by the nature of the NBA, guys are going to get beat no matter what. No matter what defensive lineup you put out there. So having a couple of guys back there that are deterrence to some degree will be important if the Celtics are trying to win these games. So that's my starting lineup. What about the bench rotation? How deep can the Celtics go? Do they have a lot of depth? Could they India Pacers, this thing? We'll talk about that when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by Monarch Money. 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John Corrales
Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen Every day. Go check out Lockdown NBA Lockdown NBA game night Little shuffling. So I'm going to be on the Friday show this week and then Jake Madison and I are going to be moving to Wednesdays. Either way, subscribe to Lockdown NBA Locked on NBA game night Game night during the season is going to be covering all the games that night. So get me and Jake the Tuesday night games for the Wednesday podcast or the daily Locked on NBA afternoon show covering all the big stories in the league. It's all there. The same place you found Locked on Celtics. How deep can the Celtics go on their bench? So either way, in any of these scenarios, Peyton Pritchard, Sam Houser, Chris Boucher and Anthony Simons, those are those guys I've named now seven players in addition to. Right. So there's four. And then that's in addition to Kada, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White. So Kada Brown, White. Those I believe are cemented starters. Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Namish Kader, cemented starters for the Celtics. Book it. The other four guys, some combination of those four and it may depend on, hey, we're playing this team this night. We're gonna go double big. We're playing this team this night. We're gonna go single big. We're gonna go shooting. It just may, it might just shift alter however then how deep do you go? Who else is in this rotation? I think you have the potential. I'd like Baylor Charman as one of the rotation pieces. I think he's, when we talk about young guys making a leap, I think Charman is a strong candidate because now he's going into his second season and he's, he's going, he's going to get those opportunities. He, we know he can shoot a little bit there. That needs to be more consistent. He can really, really pass the ball. He's got a ton of confidence. He's got the size. He is six six. So he's big. He's got that NBA size. So he's got that desire. I think that's, that's going to be a player that the Celtics really Lean on and I think he can have a really good season off the bench. So now we're at eight. Josh Minot, Luca Garza, those guys are going to get opportunities. Garza obviously not a big defensive piece for the Celtics. He's going to have to improve that. But offensively he, he can put up some points. Celtics are going to need some scoring off the bench and they're going to need some size somehow. So Garza, we're at what, what's that? 8? Minot, 6, 8 forward has the potential to be, I think, a high energy guy. Really? Look, these are guys who are in tough spots, right? Like, this is a massively important season for Minot, for Garza, for Keda. These guys, these guys are going to be focused and really, really trying to play hard and, and really, really trying to, to execute their, their roles, whatever those roles end up being on a team. So now I can see Minot really being a high energy guy that can get in there and can defend and can do a lot of different things. And he doesn't want to go play overseas. He doesn't want to. As much as I advocate for like, hey, Barcelona is nice this time of year. This is. He, you know, these, these are guys who are trying to cling to their NBA spot. So Minot and Garza are going to get their chances. So we're at what, nine deep? And we still haven't talked about Xavier Tillman, who I brought up, I wrote about it on Boston Sports Journal. He has the potential to be an X factor. No pun intended. He has a potential to be an X factor. We're at 10 deep here. He's a power forward that obviously his shot needs to fall and obviously he needs to be healthy. But if he can, if his knee can be right, he is proven NBA material and he's still in his prime. I know he looks like he's in his 30s, but he's 26, 27 years old, so he has the potential to be a 10th guy. Jordan Walsh, we're getting deep into this rotation. I don't know how deep this is going to go for the Celtics, but Walsh, I think Tillman are going to be right on the edge. Those outside spots. I think Garza and Minot are going to get the spots ahead of them just because at least at the beginning of the season, the Celtics need to know what they have with these guys and they need to, they need to prove something. And Walsh can go to Maine if he needs to. Tillman, I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen with Tillman, but the Celtics need to figure out Minot and Garza especially and maybe Minot more than anybody because all of a sudden this, this kind of like high energy bench wing, there's, there's a real need for a guy like that that can come in at whatever time and just be like hey you know what? I'm going to fly around, I'm going to be the Aaron Nesmith type without you know, trying to like hurt himself. But a guy that can come in, fly around, defend and do all that stuff like Minot has the potential to play like really desperate high energy basketball and be a factor off the bench so the solids can go 10 deep. Let's just say my starting lineup is the one. And, and Simons comes in and Hauser comes in. That's some scoring off the bench. You can bring in Minot, Garza. I don't know if you want to go like that full bench lineup. You, you can do a full bench lineup actually. Simons, Hauser, Shireman, Garza, Minot, that's if you want to go five, five bench guys. I've seen worse and that's at least as bad as. Or I don't know if that's the way I want to phrase it. But Anthony Simons has dealt with lineups like this in Portland and having Hauser and Shireman with Minot and, and Garza. Look, Hauser can shoot, Shireman can shoot, Simons can shoot. You guys shooting over the place. Garza can score. Minot, he's, he's, he's not a nothing out there that I, you could, you could sell me on some full bench lineups with those guys just to see it's an evaluation year and then if you want to put Tillman and Jordan Walsh in situationally, I think that's, that's certainly a possibility. So the Celtics bench rotation, the depth. Look in a best case scenario you can look at this and say some, some kind of. If you squint pacersy vibes of obviously Jalen is going to be the only true superstar on this team. All, all NBA guy. Simons isn't far off. Simons is actually if he can defend, Simons can surprise people and be. I'm not saying he's an all NBA guy but Simons can be good. He's a tremendous offensive player. So I think with Jalen Simons, Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, this. That's some really good. Really. There's some really good pieces. The depth is actually kind of there. I don't know. I'm. Maybe it's the September, maybe it's the. I've gotten, you know, I haven't had much to talk about. And so we're going into full speculation before camp starts and you start to talk yourself into certain things. I'm just saying depth, depth could be a strength. Like individually, you might look at these guys and say, yeah, yeah, you know, okay, yeah, okay. He's all right. He's all right. But if they can figure something out collectively, this actually, this actually might not be so bad. Maybe, maybe I'm, maybe I've been like looking at this, you know, a little too. I don't want to go. I don't want to overreact. I'm going to stop myself. I'm going to stop myself. I'm still, I'm not, I'm not coming off of my middle of the road team just yet. But I'm saying that I am open to revising that because this depth, depth could actually be a strength for the Celtics this year. Okay, so you got all these pieces and maybe they work together, maybe they don't. We'll see who finishes games. We'll talk about that when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by Open Phone. 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John Corrales
Thank you for making lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Hey, a reminder that we do do Mailbag Mondays and Mailbag questions. Go to johncorals.com mailbag johncorales.com mailbag Submit your questions at. I will be answering questions still on Mondays as the preseason comes around. It goes a little bit in more infrequently as the season starts to roll up, but I always want to answer your questions so John corrales.com mailbag for those okay, who finishes games. This is going to be the most important thing I think for the Celtics and again it's going to be situational so I think we can count on obviously Jalen, Jalen, Derrick White, I think Namish K is probably going to be in the finishing lineups, but it might depend, right? This is, I think you might have a bunch of different finishing lineups that depend on the situation. Celtics down 10 coming out of the last TV timeout vs. The Celtics up 10 coming out of the last tv timeout. It's two different animals, right? You're you, you have time to score but not that much time to score. So you want more offense on the floor versus you want to be able to score to hold off the other team. As I've always said, fourth quarter is about getting buckets and the best way to prevent the team from coming back is just scoring baskets. If you score, the other team can't catch up, so you're going to need some scoring. But you want to be able to stop the other team too. You don't want to just be trading baskets, you want to be able to get some stops. So Jalen and Derek, obviously you're going to need a big out there, so I'm going to say Keda is going to get it more often than not. But if you need offense with some of that defense in there, boucher as your 5 is one of the the options. So I think, I think that's going to Be your more down, down 10 lineup. Boucher is probably going to be the five and you're going to throw out, I think Boucher, Simons, Jalen Pritchard and Derrick White. It's a small lineup, but that's going to be a high powered offense. You're going to get a lot of points that way and you just have to lock in defensively. So it's going to be tough. You got to be high, high energy and force. Hopefully a miss or two somewhere in there. But you need that scoring that, you need that shooting. You need three point threats all over the place. That to me is your down 10 finishing lineup. You're up 10, finishing lineup could be a little bit different. So still Jalen, still Derek, probably Keda, because just a little bit more rebounding and a little bit, you want a little bit more of a shot blocker. The only hesitation I have is the fouls. And you don't, you don't want him, you know, they'll, they'll put him in pick and rolls. You want to make sure he's not in a tough situation. So I'm going to reserve the right to say maybe Boucher is just your finishing big no matter what. But I'm going to give Kada the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to say he's made some progress, I'm going to say he's made progress in Euroleague. I'm going to say you're up 10, you need the defense, you need to get the stops, but you still need to find ways to score. Keita can be your center, you can run your pick and roll and you know, maybe, maybe you just don't. Maybe have K just off in the dunker spot and you run your pick and roll with Derrick White, Anthony Simons, one of those guys. So, and then you want a defender. So I'm not sure who the last wing defender. So I'm just going to say maybe Simons is a fixture in the finishing line. I think maybe Simons just joins that finishing lineup no matter what. But it depends on his ability to defend. If, if he doesn't get any of the defensive concepts, if he just remains bad, then you're going to need somebody out there that understands and can defend. Is this where you go Minot or do you go Jordan Walsh, big rangy wings or do you do both? Do you put a defensive line? Is your best defensive lineup Derrick White, Jalen Brown, Josh Minot, Jordan Walsh and NIMISH Kaeda up 10, two minutes to go. Is that the group you're, you're sacrificing a bunch of offense there. You, you are banking on your defense. Maybe that's the, maybe that's not your final 2 minutes lineup, but maybe it's the up 6 with 40 seconds to go and you need a couple of stops and you're, you're going to get to the foul line. Maybe that's the group that's in there. I can see that. I can totally see that. Jordan Walsh is such a wild card to me because I think, I think he could finish this this season. Not on the team or part of your finishing defensive lineup. It could go either way with him. I'm not sure where it's going to go, but your best defensive lineup, I'm just looking at this. It, it may be. That might be it. And depending on how big you, maybe you go double big depending on the group. And you put Boucher in there with either Minot or Walsh, again, they're both about the same size. You can get a lot of good defensive use out of those guys. If, if Simons is unplayable defensively down the stretch, which will he. Maybe he may not be. I don't know. Then you might have to tap into some funky lineups at the end. Whether you go double big or single single big, it depends on what the other team is putting out there. But it, it can get, it might get weird, it might get weird in the, down the stretch. And the Celtics, look, they, they might throw some, some lineups out there especially early on just to see, let's just see. Maybe that Jordan Walsh, Josh Minot combination is just the, hey, we're going to finish with that in, you know, October, November against certain teams just to see. And I, I don't think we should be worried necessarily about the final wins and losses tally. If The Celtics win 41 games, so be it. If they win 51 games, hey, great. But also so be it. If they win 31 games, so be it. I don't care. I'm not really looking at this season as how many games are they going to win and all. I still think they're going to be a playoff team. I hope they're not a play in team. Either way, I want them to miss the playing. Either you're teetering on the edge and you just forget it and don't, don't bother or you're teetering on the edge at the top end and it's like go on a little bit of a run and get out of it. But either way, I don't want them in the play in it can get funky. So we'll see. We will revisit again a month from now. Preseason will be over and we'll have a better idea of what some of the lineups Joe Missoula has thrown out there. For now, get into the comments section on the YouTube page. Let me know what you think. What's your starting five? What's your bench rotation? Am I missing somebody? Am I overlooking somebody? Am I overrating somebody? Let me know in the comment section. Share your thoughts there. And then please share the podcast and tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It's your team every day.
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Host: John Karalis
Date: September 18, 2025
Episode Focus: In this episode, John Karalis undertakes a comprehensive breakdown of the Boston Celtics’ projected starting lineup, bench rotation, and closing lineups heading into the 2025-26 season. He explores position battles, game situations, and evaluates the team’s depth, offering expert analysis and inviting listener engagement.
John Karalis analyzes the Celtics’ rotations for the upcoming season, debating who should start, how deep the bench can go, and what lineups make sense to close games—emphasizing flexibility, matchups, and the impact of newcomers and younger players.
Karalis discusses his preferred lineups, alternatives based on team needs or matchups, and considers both offensive and defensive priorities. He also draws attention to the emphasis the Celtics may place on experimentation, evaluation, and development over raw win totals this season.
Karalis’s Preferred Starting Five:
“My starting lineup has been Derrick White, Anthony Simons, Jalen Brown, Chris Boucher, Nimius Keita. That’s my starting five for now.” [02:10]
Rationale Behind Choices:
“What I like about Simons so much as a starter is that it prevents you from, prevents the defense from doubling Jalen Brown. And I think that’s a big deal.” [06:41]
Alternative Starting Options:
“Whatever the starting lineup is on opening night, it might change based on matchups. It may change based on just performance and lineup.” [10:56]
Lineup Staggering:
Emphasis on Adaptability:
Expected Core Rotation Players:
“Those are those guys I’ve named now, seven players…” [14:24]
Emerging Young Talent:
Veterans/Fringe Rotation:
Depth Assessment:
“You can do a full bench lineup actually – Simons, Hauser, Shireman, Garza, Minot… I’ve seen worse.” [20:26]
Developmental Focus:
“The Celtics need to figure out Minot and Garza especially and maybe Minot more than anybody…” [18:46]
Themes of “Pacersy vibes”:
“If they can figure something out collectively, this actually, this actually might not be so bad.” [21:29]
End-of-Game Lineup Philosophy:
Down 10, Need Offense:
“That’s going to be a high powered offense. You’re going to get a lot of points that way…” [26:25]
Up 10, Need Defense/Rebounding:
“Is this where you go Minot or do you go Jordan Walsh – big rangy wings – or do you do both?” [27:52]
Best Defensive Lineup:
Development Over Wins:
“I don’t think we should be worried necessarily about the final wins and losses tally… I’m not really looking at this season as how many games…” [30:24]
Celtics Playoff Outlook:
On Simons Preventing Double Teams:
“What I like about Simons so much as a starter is that it prevents the defense from doubling Jalen Brown. And I think that’s a big deal.” (John Karalis, 06:41)
On Lineup Flexibility:
“Whatever the starting lineup is on opening night, it might change based on matchups. It may change based on just performance and lineup.” (John Karalis, 10:56)
On the Team’s Depth:
“The depth is actually kind of there. Maybe I’ve been looking at this a little too… I’m open to revising [my expectations] because this depth could actually be a strength for the Celtics this year.” (21:29)
On Closing Situations:
“Fourth quarter is about getting buckets and the best way to prevent the team from coming back is just scoring baskets.” (John Karalis, 25:54)
On Experimentation and Wins:
“I don’t care. I’m not really looking at this season as how many games are they going to win… If The Celtics win 41 games, so be it… 51, great… 31, so be it.” (John Karalis, 30:24)
Karalis encourages fans to join the conversation via the YouTube comment section:
“Let me know what you think. What’s your starting five? What’s your bench rotation? Am I missing somebody? Am I overlooking somebody? Am I overrating somebody? Let me know in the comment section.” (32:22)
John Karalis’s detailed, candid exploration of the Celtics’ possible rotations for the 2025-26 season highlights positional battles, the value of flexibility, and the importance of evaluating young and fringe players. While acknowledging uncertainties and the likelihood of early-season experimentation, he remains optimistic that the team's collective depth and versatility may surprise skeptics. The episode reflects a balanced, open-minded tone and welcomes active listener participation as the roster battle unfolds.