PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- Set to open training camp this weekend with a roster thick on depth but thin on separation, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he'll enter the new season with a clean slate and an open mind. For the Celtics, there's an intriguing competition looming for playing time and Stevens seems eager to see which players step forward.

Meeting with reporters on Tuesday at the Celtics' eighth annual Shamrock Foundation "Teeing Up For Kids" golf tournament at Old Sandwich Golf Club, Stevens was asked how he'll find time for all his players.

"Good question. We’ll find out. Time will tell. Like I said a couple weeks ago, it’ll be interesting," said Stevens. "One thing I'm not going to do is predetermine anything. We’ll see how it all shakes itself out and we’ll go from there. The most important thing that we can do and promote at the start of training camp is that we’re gonna compete to be able to be our best. That’s going to mean that we’re going to have to play really well. That’s going to mean that people are going to ultimately have to sacrifice. And we all have to just be accountable to the team.

"It’s easy to talk about in mid-September. It is more difficult when somebody has to go through that and not play. We’ll figure that stuff out. It’s a long season. A lot of things happen. We’ll figure out who best fits with each other and then put our best group out there for the Celtics."

The Celtics brought back nine players -- a group that includes the likes of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Jared Sullinger, and Kelly Olynyk -- that were part of the team's playoff rotation last season. They also added veteran big men David Lee and Amir Johnson this offseason, while another offseason addition, Perry Jones, is looking to simply play his way onto the roster. Four more youngsters -- rookies Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, and Jordan Mickey and second-year swingman James Young -- are trying to prove themselves.

Boston already needs to trim a guaranteed contract before the start of the season and Stevens noted that, on most nights, a third of the remaining roster won't get on the court.

"I don’t think on most nights you can go past 10 [guys]," said Stevens. "There may be an exception in certain situations, but the one thing that I do feel comfortable saying is that I'd feel really comfortable playing 10 on our roster regardless of who they are because I think that our depth is a key. Let’s turn this into a positive rather than an issue. That’s what we have to do as a team. I think that we’ll go through, inevitably, sickness or injuries or whatever the case may be. We’re going to have a lot of ability to maintain our level when we go to our bench."

Jonas Jerebko, who was re-signed this offseason, is embracing the fight for minutes that lies ahead.

"Competition just makes everyone better," said Jerebko. "You are supposed to have competition on the team. We have a lot of guys that can play multiple positions so that’s just a plus for us. We can mix it up and have a great coach to mix it up with, so I’m looking forward to it."

Tyler Zeller, one of Boston's many bigs in that overstocked frontcourt, said it's up to the players to distinguish themselves and adapt to available roles.

"You just go out and play. It’s one of those things, hopefully, where your playing talks for itself," said Zeller. "You just have to go and find your little niche. Find what your team needs and where you fit. Hopefully that will talk for itself and find you playing time and, if it doesn’t, you just have to keep working and keep trying to find a spot."

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he does not envision any major roster overhauls before the start of the season, though Ainge welcomes calls considering Boston's unique collection of young talent, draft picks and future cap space.

"We’ll always try to improve our team but we don’t have anything that we’re looking to do right now," said Ainge. "If someone calls and likes our players [then we might] but we like every one of our guys. And we have a lot of depth and I think that’s gonna be a big strength of our team."

So how do the Celtics sort out their lineups and rotations?

"I think that’s gonna be a challenge for our coaching staff," said Ainge. "You’ll probably see a lot of different combinations through training camp scrimmages and in exhibition games and see who plays best together. It’s not always the best players, but the players that play the best together. We have a lot of different options, especially in the frontcourt. I’m anxious to see how that all plays out."