Doc Rivers looking to slash starter’s minutes
Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said after their 114-83 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday 17 November that he is going to decrease the minutes of his starters as a preparation
for a possible long play-off run.
According to Rivers, he knows that they have one of the oldest lineups in the NBA and it is important for him to make sure that their starters will still be fresh in the post-season, and
he is now starting to tweak their rotation.
In their game against the Wizards, Rivers rested his starters in the entire fourth quarter even knowing Washington could quickly erase the 20-point lead they had heading into the final twelve
minutes. Fortunately, their bench responded to the challenge and even led by as much as 37 points en route to their third-straight win.
Delonte West played his first game on Wednesday 17 November after serving a 10-game suspension, and Rivers said that his return would finally give him the chance to cut Rajon Rondo’s minutes.
Rondo, who has been the most impressive Celtic in their first 11 games, is averaging 10.9 points and 14.9 assists in 40.1 minutes per game. Rivers said that West would take some of his minutes
to make sure that Rondo will still have enough gas left in his tank later this season.
“The 35- to 36-minute mark is a really good measure for Rondo, if we can keep him there all year,” said Rivers on Rondo, who only played for 30 minutes against the Wizards. “There’ll be nights
when he’ll play more. Hopefully, there will be nights when he plays less. But that’s a good point for him.”
West’s return would also benefit sharp-shooting guard Ray Allen, who is averaging 39.7 minutes per game this season, which is probably too much considering his age. And with a 9-2 record
in their first 11 games, Rivers will have the luxury of decreasing his starter’s minutes, although he clarified that their good start will not make them too confident.
“It’s just early in the season,” Rivers said. “You’re always happy with your record. Your record is what you are. But that doesn’t mean that’s what you want to be right now. You know you
have to be something else, if you want to win something else.”
Doc Rivers and the Celtics will try to bag their 12th win this season when they host Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday 19 November at the TD Garden.
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