When the question about who will be with the first unit has been asked, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has been consistent in saying that he has not settled on a starting lineup just yet.
That’s why Jared Sullinger said he wasn’t the least bit bothered by the team’s open practice beginning with him on the bench instead of on the floor with either the GREEN or WHITE team.
“[Stevens] doesn’t know what he’s doing with lineups; that’s the thing,” Sullinger told Comcast SportsNet’s Abby Chin on Sunday morning in Milan.
And that, Sullinger added, has everything to do with him and the rest of the Celtics players competing at a level that thus far has produced great competition with very little separation in these early days of training camp.
“That’s the unique part of this group,” Sullinger said. “We have a lot of guys that can play multiple positions very well, every night. And so he’s in a tough situation.”
Said Stevens prior to arriving in Milan: “What we’re trying to do is play groups and not necessarily individuals. I’m still much more focused on the collective than who had a good night.”
It stands to reason that figuring out which combinations work best will get easier with more practices and preseason games for Stevens and his staff to review.
But so far, the separation has been minimal.
“Every day we make it harder for him,” Sullinger said.