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Practice squads hint to starting line-up

We're two days from Wednesday's opener in Toronto and it looks like Brad Stevens has a feel for who he wants in the starting five.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Based on what was working in the preseason, this makes sense.  Avery Bradley and Jeff Green seemed to be the constants from day one.  The intrigue over having Gerald Wallace and Green paired seems to have won out over the previously intriguing storyline of starting Jordan Crawford with Bradley.  With Jared Sullinger still getting back into game shape after back surgery, it looks like Brandon Bass has won the starting power forward slot for the time being.

What might be the most striking decision is starting Vitor Faverani over Kelly Olynyk.  Faverani capped off a promising preseason with a 15-7-6 line against Brooklyn and he's adjusted to the NBA game quickly.  Kelly has played well as well, but Vitor has been more effective on defense and Olynyk's versatility could be better served in a 6th man role.

There's also the surprise of Phil Pressey running with the starters.  My guess is that he'll be running with a lot of the complementary role players (Kris Humphries, Courtney Lee, Kelly Olynyk, etc.).  He's been the team's best playmaker and he'll be charged with creating open looks for his teammates who aren't exactly best off the dribble.

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