The Boston Celtics are starting to feel some of the ramifications of their roster, specifically the depth along the bench. In tough matchups and close games, it just doesn’t seem adequate for Joe Mazzulla after the top-eight players.

In recent games, we’ve seen Mazzulla resort to a double-big lineup because he doesn’t have a wing that he trusts behind Sam Hauser. And if Hauser is having an off night, which he’s had more often than not this season, Mazzulla has to rely on a double-big set because that’s all he has right now.

The Celtics typically only deploy an eight man rotation in most games. It’s usually Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Hauser. The rotation for the center position was a point of emphasis for the offseason while wing depth wasn’t thought of too much.

Boston’s wing depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown consists of Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman (rookie), and maybe Xavier Tillman depending on how you look at him.

Not having proper depth is starting to impact the rotation and other parts of the team. We’re starting to see Mazzulla have to resort to other options as of late.

In the third quarter on Sunday in OKC, we saw Al Horford and Luke Kornet go into the game when Kristaps Porzingis came out. Hauser was struggling to find his shot and only played 11-minutes. It’s another example of Mazzulla not having much wing depth that he trusts and has to adjust his rotation.

The Celtics need to make a change somewhere on the roster. It’s something that Brad Stevens masterfully does and he doesn’t hesitate when it comes to improving the roster. In fact, he’s actually already tried to.

During the preseason, Stevens tested the trade market for Jaden Springer following a strong performance from Lonnie Walker IV. According to HoopsHype, teams wanted future draft capital for taking on Springer’s $4 million salary, but Boston wasn’t interested in that counteroffer.

Stevens was extremely excited to have landed Springer at the 2024 trade deadline. He was really intrigued with him being in the league for three years at 22-years-old. Stevens even said he liked him coming out of the 2021 NBA Draft and that he’s younger than some of the players in this past draft, which also excited Stevens.

“We liked him in the draft a few years ago. He was the youngest player in that draft. And again, he’s still a puppy. He’s still 21 years old.”

Springer has unfortunately not been able to get into Mazzulla’s rotation. He’s played in 14 games this season, averaging 4.5 minutes and 1.4 points per game.

After the Celtics moved on from Walker IV at the end of training camp, he signed a deal with the Źalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague. However, there is a clause in his contract that’ll allow him to be bought out of his current contract with a Feb. 18 deadline.

According to Mark Stein of the Stein Line, there is growing interest for Walker IV around the league, including the Celtics bringing him back, which might’ve been the plan all along.

“Lonnie Walker IV is drawing NBA interest and can be bought out of his Žalgiris contract in the EuroLeague by any NBA team until Feb. 18. Potential suitors said to include Sixers, Wolves, Heat, Nuggets and Celtics. Walker went to camp with Boston.”

It’s worth mentioning that the Celtics still have an open roster spot. The reason for not signing Walker IV prior to the season was because of luxury tax penalties. Moving on from Springer would help shed some of those penalties. The same can be said for Tillman at this point as well.

The Celtics are have been dealing with injuries to essential players all season. From Porzingis continuing to get hurt since returning, Brown with a shoulder injury, Hauser with lingering back pain, Jrue Holiday has missed games as well, Boston needs more consistency on a game-to-game basis.

With the new CBA, it’s only inevitable that the Celtics will be unable to retain this caliber of team past this season. Between player salaries and aging, it might be time for Boston to retool their roster.

Expect Stevens to make a move by the trade deadline.

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Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE, Getty Images