One thing that got lost in the shuffle of Jayson Tatum’s epic clutch performance on Friday night to help the Celtics take down the Knicks was Neemias Queta pouring in 15 big points off the bench, including drilling a big corner three. Much has been made of the new center rotation with Queta and Mitchell Robinson, and how neither one provides the stretch element that was central in Boston when Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis patrolled the paint.
But what if the answer to this dilemma is just growth from Queta, who caught the pass from Tatum and never hesitated, immediately going into a shooting motion that looked slow but surprisingly fluid and solid, as he buried his first three-pointer of the season.
Queta looked smooth and confident burying a corner-3
It’s only one shot, and he was wide open in the corner, but still, this could be the start of something big. We saw him stretch his game out a bit in the preseason, and if this is something he can add to his game, even just as an occasional threat, that would be a huge difference-maker.
It’s obviously going to take a long time and a lot more than one make for teams to start honoring the threat, but if Boston could ever get to the point where opposing rim protectors are hesitant to leave him alone in the corner or on a pick-and-pop, that would be a huge win for the Celtics.
While it may sound crazy for me to be hyping up a single shot, let’s keep in mind that before this, Queta had five seasons under his belt in the NBA and had attempted 11 three-pointers, making just one. So, he’s already matched his career output, which took him 186 games played, in just two so far this season.
Queta developing a 3 would do wonders for Celtics' offense
Furthermore, it’s not so much that he made a three, but the way he confidently put it up with just a minute and a half remaining in the third quarter in a four-point game against the defending champs. On top of that, there were still 8 seconds on the shot clock when Queta received the pass. It’s not like he was catching a grenade and had no choice but to fire. This was a high-leverage moment, and Queta looked completely at ease and comfortable.
And that’s all we want to see. It’s not like he’s going to turn into Karl-Anthony Towns overnight and start launching threes left and right, but taking open catch-and-shoot looks from the corners is a great start. Hopefully, this is something the team is working on and something he can continue adding to his game.
Queta has already grown and developed so much as a player and has become a true threat on the offensive end. If he could add some semblance of an outside shot and make teams react to him spacing the floor, the sky is the limit for Neemy and the Boston offense.
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