With Sam Hauser out with lower back pain, the conventional wisdom was that head coach Joe Mazzulla would tap fellow wing Jordan Walsh to get those minutes.

Not so fast.

“We have the flexibility and the depth to go a different route,” Mazzulla said Thursday night before tipping off against the Wizards. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a grand piano. It could be a security guard. It could be a big one. It just depends on what the matchups are in those second units. Our sub-patterns will change from game to game and within the game.”

Al Horford got the start again against Washington and played just 20 minutes of 26 against the New York Knicks. But unlike Tuesday, Mazzulla went three deep in his center rotation with Luke Kornet (16 minutes), Xavier Tillman (15), And Neemias Queta (14) in that ninth man slot.

“I’m confident that whoever we call will be ready to play just because of the work they put in and the things they do,” Mazzulla continued.

Part of that work certainly includes Xavier Tillman and his three-point shot. After going 6-for-11 from behind the arc in the preseason, he missed all three on Ring Night but rebounded with a 2-for-3 performance against the Wiz.

With Tillman, the Celtics have another versatile defenseman who can also follow in the footsteps of Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.

When asked about the team’s second unit without Hauser, Derrick White said, “Not much changes. The standard is the standard and no matter who we put in it, we expect the same. Obviously it’s not Sam Hauser out there, but there are a lot of different ways to create advantages. I thought all the greats did a great job for us today. No matter who we put in, we expect them to do what they do and we had a good game for us tonight.”

During the preseason it was Kornet that got the starting nod. Surrounded by stars, he is a natural connector for all of Boston’s talent. He has good feel around the rim and is a huge lob target from the dunker spot, but ultimately his “do what they do” is his understanding of angles and where everyone stands on the floor.

In addition to his vision and instincts in defending pick-and-rolls, he has above-average size in the high post and a skilled passer in the short roll.

And then there is Queta.

“Athletic,” White described his resilient teammate. “Seems to get every offensive rebound. Just a big body around the edge. I just think he feels a little more comfortable, a little more sure of himself, because he knows where to be in the attack. I think maybe last year he was thinking too much, but this year he’s just playing and doing what he does.

After being promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal before the playoffs last year, Queta signed a three-year contract worth $7.2 million over the summer. He’s still raw – it’s hard not to see a lot of early Robert Williams III in his game – but he’s active in the restricted area and has great hands. He converted his four offensive rebounds into eight points against 265 pounds, 83 inches of Jonas Valančiūnas.

The Celtics will wait another two months for Porzingis’ return, or however long it takes for him to be 100%, because 1) he’s an important piece to their championship aspirations and maybe more, 2) they can, too.