Joe Mazzulla sounds off on debut of newest Celtics weapon

The Boston Celtics remain one of the best teams in the association, even though their dominance hasn’t been as convincing as it was last season. Prior to the trade deadline, the Celtics decided to make a minor roster configuration, trading Jaden Springer away to open up a spot for veteran wing Torrey Craig. On Wednesday night, Craig made his debut for Boston, although he did not play many minutes, suiting up for just nine minutes, scoring six points on 2-2 shooting from beyond the arc in a 116-103 win for the Celtics over the San Antonio Spurs.

It does look as though it’s only a matter of time before the Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla, gives Craig a bigger role in the rotation. As a 6’7″ wing, he can match up quite well across multiple positions, and all Mazzulla wants to give Craig is some time to marinate in the team’s system.

“He’s got an important role just because of his versatility. So, it’s going to take time for him to understand the language and the things that we do on both ends of the floor. And you can watch as much film and walk through it, but until he’s in the game, it’s going to just continue to be a conversation of how we can utilize his versatility on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said in his postgame presser, via ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian.

A team with championship aspirations such as the Celtics cannot have too many 3-and-D wing players. Craig may not play more than 20 minutes a night, or maybe even 10 during the playoffs, but the luxury of having someone with his skillset around for some added insurance is not to be taken for granted.

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Only eight players are guaranteed to be in the Celtics’ playoff rotation: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser. When the games are at their tightest, expect Mazzulla to rely on those eight alone, leaving everyone off the rotation except for some very specific matchup purposes.

Craig, however, could be someone the Celtics call upon in matchups that require them to have more defensive versatility on the perimeter, perhaps in lineups without either Porzingis or Horford.

Nonetheless, expect Craig to be in the rotation for the rest of the season, especially once rest days become more common for the likes of Tatum and Brown.