Ex-All-Star sends strong message on the ideal Boston Celtics starting five

Arenas referred to a lineup consisting of Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis as “your 5” (h/t Basketball Network). “You start off by doing this minor sh**, and before you know it, you’re smaller at the guard play and smaller at the four play. When you come in, you can substitute Unicorn and insert Horford, the old a**. What the f**k changed from last year?

Given the uncertainty surrounding the position of backup point guard behind the 33-year-old Holiday, the proposal definitely has appeal. Horford has started all 63 of the games he has played in during the regular season and all 20 of the team’s playoff games, thus it is not unlikely that he will remain in the starting lineup for the third consecutive season after moving back to Boston.

No matter if Derrick White or Al Horford starts, there will be depth questions for the Boston Celtics

If Horford begins, the Boston Celtics will have to rely on Luke Kornet to play the five position for a longer period of time than Horford would have in a second-unit role. If White replaces Horford in the starting lineup, your backup options would be Payton Pritchard, Dalano Banton, JD Davison, or perhaps Tatum.

For Joe Mazzulla, there is no escape from uncertainty, yet this has been a defining characteristic of his coaching career. Mazzulla is not experiencing any unusual feelings of uncertainty about the future because he was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Ime Udoka, who was ultimately dismissed, during the C’s 2022 training camp and succeeded in earning his keep in Boston.

Choosing a top-flight Jays pairing between White and Horford on short notice after a controversy forced the resignation of a conference-winning coach definitely pales in contrast to that.