Change Made: Charlotte Hornets Switch Up Starting Lineup vs. Celtics

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Change Made: Charlotte Hornets Switch Up Starting Lineup vs. Celtics

Charlotte Hornets guard Grayson Allen (8) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) during the — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Albert Bottcher · Charlotte Hornets On SI

Sat, November 7, 2026 at 12:06 AM UTC ·

3 min read

The Hornets First Five:

G Coby White -This would be a great game for Coby White to fully return to his end-of-last-season form. He's looked far from it in his first two games back since recovering from a hamstring injury. He'll also still be on a minute restriction barring a major surprise, meaning more minutes for Christian Anderson Jr.

G Grayson Allen -For the first time this season, Grayson Allen gets the starting nod ahead of Sion James in Kon Knueppel's absence. He's the savvier option and the much better shooter, although omitting Sion makes the defensive matchups against Tatum and George much more interesting.

F Brandon Miller -You have to be a little concerned with Miller's inefficiencies so far, at the very least. He's had a 2/14, 2/15, 7/21, 7/24, and a 10/29 game. There's adjusting to a bigger role and then there's those kind of nights on a regular basis.

F Naz Reid -Reid was the Hornets' best player in the 104-114 loss against Brooklyn, scoring a season-high 28 points, accompanied by 9 rebounds. Sadly, his two standout performances against Brooklyn have remained the only ones. Maybe Boston can be the first good opponent he shines against.

C Ryan Kalkbrenner -Ryan Kalkbrenner has been one of the few improved Hornets players. He's looked more assertive in his backup role. Starting against the Celtics is a whole different challenge, of course, but you should feel a little more confident that Kalkbrenner can handle it.

The Celtics First Five:

G Derrick White -A very good shooter just a few seasons ago, White's shot has continuously deteriorated in recent years, and he's hitting 29.3% from deep this season. He's still solid defensively and a good playmaker, though.

F Jordan Walsh -The most unremarkable of Boston's starters, Jordan Walsh is mainly a complementary player. He's an ok shooter, ok rebounder, and generally doesn't hurt the team in a major way, which is more than you can say for a lot of other NBA players.

F Paul George -Paul George has quietly been really good again for a few years now. That trend is continuing in Boston. While Tatum has been inefficient, PG is the exact opposite. And he can still do a lot of other things as well.

F Jayson Tatum -Jayson Tatum is yet to prove he can reach another prime post Achilles tear. You'll see him look like his old self in some games, before reverting to a less efficient and less athletic version of himself in others.

C Neemias Queta -Queta is a strong rebounder and steadily improving roll man with solid defensive chops. He was often compared to Moussa Diabat last season, mainly due to their simultaneous breakouts and outstanding effort.

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