Ever since the Boston Celtics season ended, we've gotten a fair share of rumors, with most of them linking Boston to big men. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, and Isaiah Stewart have all been linked to Boston over the past few weeks. There's no telling who the Celtics will end up with, but their interest may suggest they don't have much confidence in Neemias Queta going forward.
At least, not as their starting center.
Queta is coming off a breakout season, which served as one of the more impressive subplots in an exciting season overall, but his demons resurfaced in the Celtics' playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was largely a negative or a non-factor throughout the series before finally breaking out when it was too late.
If Queta played like that the entire series, Boston probably would have prevailed, so they understandably would have to ask themselves if they want to roll the dice with him next season. That's putting a lot of faith in someone who did not hold up on his end when the team needed him most.
There's also the possibility Queta may come off the bench
Queta may not have done too great as Boston's starting center with higher stakes, but that doesn't mean he can't be a rotation big for them moving forward. The fact of the matter is, he went from a semi-rotation player to a starting center and handled it about as well as anyone could have expected.
It's possible that adding one of Giannis, Gobert, or Stewart means the team simply wants him to play more of a backup role when the going gets tough.
It was already going to be a bit of a conundrum to see how Boston would fit Antetokounmpo with Queta. Such would definitely be the case with Gobert and Stewart, though one could make the argument that Stewart would be best off the bench.
In any case, the Celtics clearly want to avoid any more frontcourt issues like they had in the postseason this year. It simply can't be a weakness that stands out like a sore thumb like it did against the Sixers. This offseason, it sounds like there should be plenty of possibilities for them to improve from their current standing.
Queta has proven enough for him to keep his spot on the Celtics, but he also gave them enough evidence to look into other options. It's possible Boston might roll the dice with Queta starting again, but they better be ready for what comes if they do.
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