Jae Crowder and Jaylen Brown have been wreaking havoc playing the 4, Al Horford loves it

In the first two preseason games, we've seen the Celtics march out some very interesting mixes of players on the floor. This is the time of year to do some experimenting before the wins and losses actually matter, and Brad Stevens has been taking full advantage of his time to do so. Perhaps the most interesting combination he's put together, that has gotten some serious run, is a small-ball lineup featuring either Jae Crowder or Jaylen Brown playing at the 4 spot.

We saw a good amount of small ball from the Celtics last season, with either Crowder or the departed Evan Turner playing the role of power forward, to generally good results. But this season, with the addition of Al Horford, the C's have a All-Star caliber player that can slide over into the center position when they choose to go small.

After last nights game, Horford was excited about what he saw on the floor playing alongside Crowder:

Al Horford says of the team's stellar third-quarter defense, "It all started with Jae Crowder and his energy - it was infectious."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 7, 2016

Horford says Crowder playing the 4 "creates a lot of problems" for the other team and also benefits Horford personally at the offensive end.

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 7, 2016

Last month, we wrote about a potential "Lineup of death", in which we could possibly see a defensive group featuring three stellar defenders in Crowder, Marcus Smart, and Avery Bradley, alongside Brown and Horford. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we see that group getting some time on the floor together before the preseason is over.


Photo Credit Sam Sharpe - USA TODAY Sports

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