The Celtics will unveil a new starting five Wednesday night against the Raptors, with Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza all in the opening lineup. It is the first double-big start Boston has used this season, and it gives Garza his first start of the year while Scheierman gets his second.
Garza, who is averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game while shooting a team-best 52% from three, said the setup gives him another route to stay on the floor. He added that, with the size Boston has, he has to commit to it and try to be as effective as possible at the position.
The timing matters because this is not just a one-off shuffle. Queta has already started the last six games after opening the season on the bench, and Boston has spent the early part of the year mixing in different starters. Jordan Walsh opened six of the Celtics' first nine games, Hugo Gonzalez started three of those nine, and Sam Hauser, Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley have all also gotten turns.
The Celtics are also making this move with Paul George out because of illness after he scored 36 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. That makes the lineup choice feel less like a simple reaction to one absence and more like another step in Boston's search for the right fit around its core.
Baylor Scheierman brings his own production into the new look, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20 minutes per game while shooting 45.2% from three. The Raptors will counter with RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter, though they will be without Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes. Boston's answer for Wednesday night is clear enough: change the front line, keep the spacing, and see whether the double-big look can hold up once the game starts.
