Kristaps Porzingis laid it all on the line in the NBA Finals. Even after suffering an extremely rare injury, he still managed to get out on the court in Game 5. He wanted to be a part of the clinching game. However, now the Celtics will be forced to navigate life without him as he continues to recover from offseason surgery.
In his absence, Al Horford will maintain the starting spot he’s held throughout nearly his entire tenure in Boston, but the Celtics will need more than that. It’s why their re-signing of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta was so important this summer.
And Queta is ready to step up to the plate.
Neemias Queta discusses potential Celtics role
After an impressive showing in the Celtics’ 115-111 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, Queta spoke about Joe Mazzulla’s message to him and the rest of the backup center crew about their roles during the year.
“Yeah, Joe’s been honest about filling in and plugging up the holes, whether it’s Al or KP or any of the other guys,” Queta said. “When they miss, we all need guys to step up and bring it on every day. And I feel like we just lock into that and hone into that, and I feel like it’s just another example of how much we can impact winning.”
Queta joined the Celtics last summer, originally on a two-way contract. This summer, he inked a multi-year extension to stay in Boston, and now, he’ll have a chance to play significant minutes for them this year.
Since he first signed on board, he’s gotten much more comfortable with the team and how they play on the court.
“Definitely a lot more comfortable,” Queta said. “It’s not as new for me. Understanding how these guys play, too, and playing off of that, it just makes my life a lot easier.”
At 25 years old, Queta still has plenty of time to develop and improve in the NBA, but his league-ready skills are already clear. He’s an elite athlete, a great rebounder, and an electrifying shot-blocker around the rim. That said, he still needs to work on his positioning, fouling, and finishing around the rim.
Kornet and Tillman have both been lights out during the preseason, so they will likely be ahead of Queta in the rotation to start the year.
Queta hasn’t necessarily been bad, but the other two guys he could be competing with minutes for have been unbelievable. Despite that, he should still see plenty of opportunities in the rotation this year.