Celtics are getting the Neemias Queta show they've been waiting for

Neemias Queta swatted five shots in the Boston Celtics' 119-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers. His performance patrolling the paint in Wednesday night's win at TD Garden also captured his growth as a rim protector.

The athletic seven-foot center is demonstrating more discipline, rather than leaving his feet to try to block every shot he encounters. That approach often led to fouls and put-back dunks from the player he abandoned when he took to the air.

"I feel like with repetition and consistently seeing different looks, I don't think that stuff is new anymore," said Queta in the locker room post-game. "So, just being able to figure out how to impact defending. Who's attacking the rim, and what [do] you have guarding as the second defender? Everything's becoming more clear for me, and I'm getting better at it. At the end of the day, that's the main thing."

Even Queta's rejections showcased his discipline. Less than three minutes into Wednesday's matchup, the fifth-year veteran flipped his hips to pick up Andrew Nembhard as the Pacers' guard attacked downhill. When Queta jumped with him, he demonstrated the body control necessary to avoid fouling before swatting Nembhard's layup attempt off the backboard.

On his next block, the 26-year-old from Lisbon, Portugal, rotated to cut off Quenton Jackson's drive, keeping his feet on the parquet. When Jackson dished the ball to a rim-rolling Tony Bradley, Queta obeyed the law of verticality upon elevating to challenge his shot. The result was a clean denial, spurring a transition opportunity that ended with Jordan Walsh burying a three.

Boston's starting center, who is impressing in his opportunity in the first unit this season, also spiked a Johnny Furphy floater, patiently waited for Pascal Siakam to complete his spin move before rotating from the weak side to thwart that attempt. His fifth block came from staying grounded as he wound up on Ben Sheppard at the three-point line with the shot clock nearing its expiration.

Neemias Queta's defensive growth is elevating the Celtics

After Boston, who occupies the second seed in the Eastern Conference, improved to 27-16, Queta's bench boss, unprompted, praised his starting center's development on defense.

"Tonight, Neemi had five blocks. I thought he did a great job protecting the rim for us. I think his growth defensively is helping us get better," stated Joe Mazzulla.

"He's just got to keep working. That's the journey of the season," said Jaylen Brown. "I thought he did a good job, but we gotta be consistent in not fouling when we don't need to foul. And we rely on Neemi a lot, so he [has] gotta continue to keep it up."

Queta's five rejections captured the areas of growth that have led to the impact he's making while anchoring the backline.

"Timing, positioning, knowing when to go, when not to go, without giving up offensive rebounds," said Queta. "And I feel like the game is just slowing down and becoming way easier for me to figure that stuff out. So, I'm just trying to stay locked in and keep on improving on that."

Knowing they can trust him to protect the rim empowers his teammates, allowing them to operate more aggressively. That feeds into how the Celtics want to play on defense this season.

"I think it's huge," said Queta when asked about the impact of his patrolling the paint with more discipline. "Every time guys drive and see me in there -- make them second-guess their ability to get a good finish. And a lot of times, it's not even about blocking it. It's just about making them miss a shot. So by being present early and communicating to my teammates that I have their back, it's so much easier for our defense, and I think our roles get clearer."

Opponents are shooting 11.2 percent worse around the rim when Queta's present. That ranks in the 84th percentile, per databallr.com. He's swatting 1.2 shots per game and helping the Celtics hold opponents to the second-fewest points per contest.

The once unknown is becoming increasingly familiar to a player who has always been a quick learner. That has led to Queta pairing his size and athleticism with the processing speed and discipline necessary to elevate an entire defense. What's more exciting is his room for growth and what that can do for the Celtics.