Mitchell Robinson And Paul George Are Starting For Boston And Two Former Starters Are On The Bench

The Boston Celtics are rolling out a brand-new starting five for their preseason home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, and it’s a serious statement game. We’re talking Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Jordan Walsh, Derrick White, and Mitchell Robinson all taking the floor to kick things off. This crew is fully healthy, too, with literally everyone available except for Exhibit-10 player Devin Carter.

Celtics’ New Look and Some Big Shifts

This new lineup means we’re seeing some pretty big shifts from last season. Neemias Queta, who was a regular starter, is now coming off the bench. Same goes for Payton Pritchard, who started for the first half of last season. That’s a huge change for those guys! But it shows you the depth the Celtics are looking to build. Beyond that core, we’re expecting Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Sam Hauser to get some decent wing minutes off the bench, adding even more options. It’ll be interesting to see how this new rotation gels, especially with so many talented guys now vying for minutes.

Short-Handed Sixers and Preseason Vibes

On the other side of the court, the Philadelphia 76ers are coming in pretty short-handed tonight. They’ll be without a bunch of their key players, including Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, Adem Bona, and Anfernee Simons. Brown even did a lengthy warm-up, but he’s been ruled out for the game. This means we’ll get to see Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the court warming up as opponents for the very first time, which is wild to think about after all those years as teammates. The 76ers are 1-1 in the preseason so far, with a win over the New York Knicks and a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics are currently 1-0 in preseason action, but they were missing eight rotation players in their opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, including Tatum, White, George, Robinson, Queta, Hauser, Ron Harper Jr., and Pritchard.

So, this is the first real chance to see the Celtics’ full squad in action, and it’s going to be telling. You know all eyes will be on how this new starting five, especially Tatum and George, connect and whether they can immediately establish some killer chemistry on the court.

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Originally reported by Celtics Blog.