The Boston Celtics had to survive months without Rajon Rondo as their point guard to start off the 2013-14 season as he was working his way back from an ACL injury. They'll have to survive life without Rondo in the lineup to start off this season as well, although luckily it will be for a much short time. Rondo broke his hand in the shower and will probably miss the start of the season while certainly missing all of the preseason. In the interim, the Celtics have to figure out who their point guard will be.
According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, that replacement could be shooting guard Evan Turner. Turner joined the Celtics on a two-year contract after a disastrous finish to the season with the Indiana Pacers, but Celtics' coach Brad Stevens doesn't seem to let that poor finish color this decision. Even with a bevy of guards, Turner appears to be heavily in the mix here to replace Rondo.
The race to replace an injured Rajon Rondo in the Boston Celtics starting lineup is just beginning, but the early leader appears to be Evan Turner.
The 6-foot-7 Turner is firmly entrenched in the mix for the job, along with rookie Marcus Smart and second-year guard Phil Pressey.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has essentially ruled out Avery Bradley being called upon to fill the void that exists following Rondo's broken left hand injury that could keep him out for as long as 10 weeks.
"I'm not planning on it," Stevens said when asked about Bradley playing point guard.
Turner, who spent three-plus seasons in Philadelphia, has never played the point guard position full-time since being selected by the Sixers with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
It makes sense that Avery Bradley would be ruled out because he has struggled mightily with spot point guard duties in the past. He's much better playing off the ball and isn't the playmaker the team would need him to be. He also seems to suffer from a dose of his medicine in that he doesn't handle pressure well when he's handling the ball. However, there seem to be other capable options on the roster.
Another newcomer, Marcus Thornton, isn't a point guard by any means but it wouldn't be surprising if he saw spot duty here at different times before Rondo is back. The Celtics do have a combo guard they're very high on and a backup point guard who was serviceable at times last season. Phil Pressey started 11 games for the Celtics in his rookie season last year, and while the team was terrible, he still managed to do a decent job.
The Celtics drafted Marcus Smart No. 6 in this past draft and can definitely handle point guard duties. But for now the team is probably pretending they can compete for a playoff spot in the East and perhaps a rookie point guard who may end up being more of a shooting guard isn't their idea of a successful contingency plan. That leaves Turner as the other option and while he's a definite playmaker at the shooting guard position, asking him to create everything could be problematic. They'll just have to hope Rondo can come back as quickly as possible and be durable once he does.
