In the wake of the Boston Celtics’ earlier than anticipated playoff exit, there’s plenty of uncertainty about the roster’s future. Who will be in town next season? Who won’t?
Two names that sound like a mortal lock to be back wearing green when training camp rolls around are starting center Neemias Queta and third-year wing Jordan Walsh.
According to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the front office plans to pick up the looming team-options on both players’ respective contracts.
“Queta, who emerged as one of the league’s top centers this season and finished fourth in the Most Improved Player voting, will have his option picked up,” Himmelsbach wrote on Tuesday. “So will Walsh, who earned coach Joe Mazzulla’s trust guarding stars.”
The Celtics are already cooking with these early decisions
As newsworthy as this tidbit from Himmelsbach’s offseason primer is, these are a pair of no-brainer moves for the Celtics.
It’d be alarming if they elected to let either player hit the open market as a free agent, especially considering both of their impacts on the team’s season.
Queta showed a tremendous amount of growth. The 26-year-old entered the season as a giant question mark for Boston.
How would he handle the added responsibility? Would he stay out of foul trouble? Could he be effective offensively, despite his lack of a jump shot?
The answer to all of those questions was a resounding yes.
Queta was immediately trusted to be the Celtics’ starting center, after being buried on their bench behind Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet for the previous two campaigns.
As Himmelsbach mentioned, the Portuguese big man finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting. He appeared in 76 games where he averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
With his deal only taking up $2.7 million of the Celtics’ salary cap, there’s no reason not to bring him back for the final year of his contract. Boston would be hard-pressed to find anyone who provides better value at the center spot.
As for Walsh, he showed far more promise than many would’ve expected last summer. His season wasn’t perfect, but the 21-year-old had flashes of excellence -- none greater than his 16-game run in the starting lineup towards the beginning of the season.
The Cs won 12 of those 16 outings, while Walsh was largely excellent. There was a stretch where he made 17 of 19 attempts from the field and proved to be a strong low-usage offensive option for Boston. Not to mention his effectiveness as a point-of-attack defender. His extensive length and athleticism make Walsh an exciting prospect ahead of his fourth season.
Though we’re only three days into the offseason, it seems the front office is already beginning to cook.
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