Playoff rosters due Friday - What will the Celtics lineup look like?

This coming Friday, April 13, 2018, all NBA teams participating in the playoffs must submit a roster comprised of the players that will be battling in the post-season. The rules for the roster are the same as for the regular season. The maximum number of players is set at 15, and the minimum is 13, with 12 active and one inactive. Each team must suit up at least eight players for every game.

Here is where the Celtics stand. There are 10 players that are virtually guaranteed to be on that list. They are Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye, Aron Baynes, Guerschon Yabusele, Shane Larkin, and Greg Monroe.

Where is Abdul Nader you ask? CelticsLife writer Justin Quinn covered that question nicely in his article on the possibility of the team waiving Nader in favor of a better option. If he is not waived, Nader would be that 11th man.

How about Marcus Smart? He will be number 12 and listed as active. We may never see him active in the post-season, or he could be back in the first round. He would seem to be a vital piece for a deep run. Gordon Hayward on the roster? Why not? He would be number 13 and would be listed as inactive, at least in the early going. The best chance is that we won't see him, but I am not totally convinced of that.

The same can be said for Daniel Theis. He almost certainly won't be back for the playoffs, but with all of the secrecy surrounding Celtics injuries and rehab, I would not exclude the possibility of a return for the playoffs entirely. Put him on the roster as inactive. The NBA allows a maximum of two inactive players on the roster, and the two would be Hayward and Theis making for a total of 14 Celtics on the playoff roster.

As to the question of waiving Nader in favor of signing Jonathan Gibson or Jabari Bird, feel free to cast your own vote below. Danny Ainge almost certainly will not waive Nader unless a free agent out there has a much better chance of helping Boston to advance further in the playoffs. This will all play out by 3:00 P.M. EST on Friday, April 13.

We're starting to hear rumbles at @CelticsLife a lot of you have some feels about who should get Boston's 15th roster slot going into the playoffs. If it were your call to make, who would you choose? Would it be:

— justin quinn (@justinquinnn) April 8, 2018

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

Photo via Winslow Townson/AP Photo