Small Forward
Starter — Gordon Hayward
Backups — Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Guerschon Yabusele
When Gordon Hayward got hurt in the opening game of last season, Jayson Tatum stepped up and showed that he could be a future star.
Now that Hayward is helthy, his return presents a “gift and a curse” scenario of the Celtics.
While Tatum proved that he is a player more-then-worth of starting, Hayward’s game is more tailor-made for the starting role, which — more than likely — will regulate Tatum back to the bench. Hayward — if he returns to his old self — can easily be a 20-point per game scorer in Brad Steven’s system, and Tatum could be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year. So, if everyone is cool with this arrangement, this could be a gift for Boston; but, if either of them starts to grumble about playing time, this could become an issue.
If things unexpectedly go south for the Celtics, either one of them could also be trade-bait. Again, it’s unlikely the Celtics will have an off-year, but then again, this is the NBA, where anything is possible.