The Miami Heat just signed Precious Achiuwa, and the Cleveland Cavaliers brought Thomas Bryant on board, proving that the Boston Celtics made the right decision this summer. Though Neemias Queta is almost completely unproven at the NBA level, based on the other options available to them in free agency, he was the obvious choice.
Queta already has two years in the Celtics’ system, and for all his faults, Joe Mazzulla knows him better than anyone else they could have added. Achiuwa is on his fourth stop in the NBA (though he began his career with Miami), and Bryant will be fighting to join his sixth NBA squad in the Cavs.
Boston went with their guy, and even if it doesn’t pay off, it was the right decision.
Was Neemias Queta best for the Celtics?
At his best, Queta is a freak athlete who dominates the glass and swats away shot attempts at the rim with ease. That’s who the Celtics are hoping shows up this season, as he is slated to be their starting center.
When he’s struggling, Queta gets lost on both ends of the floor. He loses his positioning on defense, giving up cheap fouls or letting people get easy shots at the rim, and his offensive game collapses into a puddle of haziness. Queta will miss his spot to cut or set illegal screens.
But at just 26 years old and without having gotten consistent minutes up to this point in his career, there is still plenty of time for Queta to grow and improve. This year will give the Celtics a chance to assess whether or not Queta can be an impactful piece for them once they’re competing for titles again (when Jayson Tatum is healthy).
Queta will get to play through more of his mistakes this year. He’ll get to learn on the fly and apply the two years of knowledge he’s gained while playing under Mazzulla.
Anyone else Boston could have signed would have been coming in blind. Charles Bassey was a hot-button topic of conversation during Summer League, but he and Queta are the same type of player (and Queta’s bigger and more athletic).
If the Celtics were going to add any big men to the roster, they were going to be guys that would complement Queta or give them a different look, and that’s exactly what happened.
Chris Boucher can play some four minutes, and since he can shoot, he could play in double-big lineups alongside Queta. Plus, if he runs the five, Boston will be much more mobile and can run some five-out lineups.
As for Luka Garza, he’s a much more offensive-minded center with a somewhat promising three-point shot. That’s a much different look than Queta.
Guys like Achiuwa and Bryant slipped through the cracks to the end of free agency for a reason. The Celtics needed a center this summer, but Queta was far and away their best option.