The Boston Celtics opened the second quarter of their 114-93 preseason win over the Charlotte Hornets with Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson on the floor together. It's the first time those two have shared the court.
They hadn't even done so at practice. And Joe Mazzulla didn't give them much of a warning. He sprung it on them between the end of the first frame and the start of the second.
"He did not tell us," said Mitchell Robinson post-game, chuckling before confirming what his head coach had said at the podium. "It was just like, 'Just go at it.' It caught us off-guard."
Despite the surprise, the Celtics outscored their visitors 12-3 in their first shift together, which lasted 3:44. It offered an early glimpse of the impact the two towering centers can have together.
Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson add new wrinkle to Celtics arsenal
With these two on the floor, the hosts shot 5/6 from the field. In particular, Derrick White feasted. He went 5/5, using their screens to produce points at all three levels. The veteran guard scored 11 of Boston's points in that stretch.
There was get-action, in which he threw the ball to Robinson to get it back. He then knocked down a three, with the former New York Knicks center picking off Brandon Miller. There was Zoom action, with White gathering a pass from Queta. Instead of a pindown, it featured a ghost screen, with Queta slipping toward the basket instead of holding a pin down. The result? A paint touch and two points via floater.
At the other end, the Hornets went 1/7. Robinson blocked a Brandon Miller jumper on the first play of the period. It was a sign of what was to come. The duo's length and ability to cover ground consistently created problems for the visitors. Charlotte finished this stretch with an offensive rating of 50.
"A lot of presence in the paint on both sides," said Queta after the win. "Length, ability of covering ground, rebounding. Obviously, yes, I think we can be really good together."
Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson are a promising duo
The Celtics' top-two centers got a second stint together at the start of the fourth quarter. Another productive shift resulted in Boston outscoring its guests by a total of 19-8 with Queta and Robinson on the parquet. That included the former showcasing his improved ability off the dribble; most notably, with a highlight-reel dunk.
"The way he can put it on the floor. He's very smart. He's a smart player," said Robinson, of his fellow Big Man University professor. Of course, after their first chance to share the floor, there's plenty of room for growth. "A lot of things we gotta clean up, but I feel like we're going to be pretty good," acknowledged the seven-foot center.
And while that will take time, Queta also conveyed that he has complete confidence the two will figure out how to maximize their opportunities together.
How much will Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson play together?
The Celtics have had success with their double-big lineups. That remained true when one option wasn't a shooting threat. For example, Luke Kornet proved he could play with Kristaps Porzingis.
But the sample size for a combination like that was small. That figures to be the case for Queta and Robinson. Wednesday, they validated that they can work well together.
Offensively, placing the latter in the dunker spot while the former was a pick-and-roll partner on the perimeter highlighted how they can assuage any concerns about their spacing.
However, this was still about using the preseason to sharpen another tool Boston can utilize and getting game reps on film. Fortunately, what the Celtics saw captured why they can confidently deploy Queta and Robinson together when they want to challenge opponents' ability to combat this curveball. It was a successful test pilot for a pairing that will get better over time.
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