As a coach, I’ve always believed that public narratives focus way too much on who starts games and not enough on who finishes them. The two are, in a way, closely related. Starters are in the best position to play the most minutes with how rotations are set up. For many teams, the group they begin with is also the group they close with.
Boston Celtics fans may have noticed that that’s not always the case. Take Marcus Smart, the team’s super-sub the last few years who ceded starting duties to Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the now-departed Gordon Hayward.