By the end of January, the Boston Celtics will have played sixteen games in the month. Head coach Brad Stevens says he has a plan in mind to regulate his players.

Through eighty-two total games and traveling all over the country every week, a full NBA season is a total grind and puts a huge toll on a player’s body. The Boston Celtics are definitely going to be feeling that grind of the season this month.

The Celtics are scheduled to play back-to-backs or three games in four nights for the next month while going into February.

Looking at the schedule and the games coming up for the Celtics, they’re expected to play some teams who have all shown positive signs of growth this season; despite what their overall record might look like.

For example, the Boston Celtics have either lost or been in the position to lose games against the teams of the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, and the San Antonio Spurs.

Out of the remaining upcoming games in January, I’ve been most intrigued to get a closer look at the Memphis Grizzlies. Mainly being because the Boston Celtics currently own the draft rights to the Grizzlies 2020 first-round draft pick.

Every game the Grizzlies win affects the Celtics and their chances at a high draft pick. The Grizzlies are currently on a five-game winning streak ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night and will be making a trip to Boston near the end of January.

This week is the meat of the brutal month for the Celtics. They’ll be playing against Andre Drummond and Giannis Antetokounmpo in back-to-back games before taking on Anthony Davis and LeBron James. It should be expected for Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter to be used quite heavily in these next few games, maybe even a Tacko Fall sighting or two.

As we start the second week of this crazy month’s stretch of games, it’s important to mention that the Celtics pretty much have a fully healthy roster. With that being said, Daniel Theis and Jayson Tatum are both listed on the injury report as day-to-day with right knee soreness. The Celtics are going to need both Tatum and Theis to be 100% in order to make it through the month.

For the Boston Celtics to get through this trying month, Coach Brad Stevens and his staff are going to be keeping a close eye on their players. In doing so, Stevens has a plan for all of his players to get through these next 16 games in January and we’re already starting to see some of his techniques on display.

Brad Stevens is one of the more talented and intelligent coaches in the NBA and has surrounded himself with a promising staff. It’ll be intriguing to see his team of coaches and assistants calculate the best minutes and rotations for the Boston Celtics to get through this chaotic month.