In Hockey, the 3rd line plays almost as much as the first line so if you have a big advantage there (Bruin's recent strategy), that can pay off. In basketball, I think the top 3 or 4 make by far the biggest impact.
The Celtics do have some nice depth and will be able to throw a lot of energy at teams. Unfortunately, I don't think we are going to have enough talent. Depth is nice but it can make up for talent.
I am not saying that it is not possible that the Celtics become a surprise team, just not likely. With all these young players, there are a lot of potential wildcards type players that could have break out years.
Who knows, but if we do win, it will be because our best players play better than the other teams best players, not because player 8-10 out play their 8-10.