**TORONTO —** The Celtics centers don’t talk about it. They understand who they lost at their position and the responsibility, and doubts, they assumed in taking over for **Kristaps Porziņģis**, **Al Horford** and **Luke Kornet**. Many view center as the weak link for Boston to begin the 2025-26 season. Those big men view it as opportunity.
“We feel motivated, but also just I think a lot of us are just excited and optimistic,” **Luka Garza** said on Friday. “All of us have been waiting and really patient, and played behind some really good centers in the past and had some opportunity after different points, but this is probably for all of us the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had. It’s something we’ve all been working toward and staying down for, so it’s time to go out there and we all have that same motivation to go show that we deserve it.”
Through two games, Garza combined for 22 points (11 PPG), 16 rebounds (8 RPG) and two assists (1 APG) with a block and a steal on 5-for-10 shooting. He scored 12 of those points at the free throw line on 16 attempts, while struggling at times on the boards and defensively. **Chris Boucher** started both games at the four, shooting 10-for-19 from the field and 3-for-11 from deep, posting a block and a steal in each while grabbing 13 rebounds. **Neemias Queta** struggled in Toronto on Friday after sitting out the opener. **Xavier Tillman Sr.** looked spry in a surprise start at Memphis, throwing down a transition alley-oop, then didn’t score against the Raptors.
Deeper down the roster, **Josh Minott** is roaming defensively and crashing the glass on offense as part of the full team effort in the front court. That’s how **Joe Mazzulla** views the challenge ahead of how to find production on both ends every night at the position that arguably became their most uncertain almost overnight in July.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to everything,” Mazzulla said in Memphis. “So highlight the advantages and the strengths for the guys that we have, and how can we leverage those for long periods of time? Then develop as many identities as we can with the team that we have. We got a lot of versatility, we just have to be able to use it. Guys have to understand their role, be ready to execute that role for as long as they’re out there and then the next guy gives us something different. That’s really all we’re looking for is the self-awareness to what you do well, do it consistently, and then the next guy comes in and does the same thing.”
All four Celtics bigs in the mix signed minimum contracts with the team over the past two years, signaling financial limitations for Boston alongside the thought that you can pull more value for less money at the center spot, or at least solve it by committee. Indiana will attempt to do the same this year without **Myles Turner**, while both teams losing their stars due to Achilles tears lowers the stakes for the experiments. Mazzulla and the Celtics believe in Queta and held him to a high standard through his development. **Brad Stevens** gave him a good chance to play a significant role in the front court dynamic on media day. He did not award Queta a starting job.
That’s still the most likely scenario, even after an uneven preseason debut where Queta scored four points with five rebounds, five turnovers and three fouls. **Jaylen Brown**, **Derrick White** and **Sam Hauser**, three probable starters on the roster, sat out the loss in Toronto while Mazzulla substituted like a hockey game through the frustrating first quarter. Mazzulla later attributed those decisions to wanting to keep fresh legs on the floor for their pace attacking. While denying they’d do so earlier in training camp, it makes sense that Boston could at least cycle bigs on and off the floor as they try to keep up with the wings and guards flying up and down the floor.
“We’re just trying to figure out how to get better, honestly,” Boucher said on Friday. “Everybody’s gonna say what they think about this team, but we put in the work … we’re trying to figure out a way to be one of the best teams in this league and I think with the coaching staff and the team that we got around this summer, that’s all we’ve been working on.”
Garza showed that preparation through his early action with sharp screening tailored to who he’s playing with in the pick-and-roll. He read the way the Grizzlies and Raptors guarded him, and leaned more toward rolling than popping, generate ample rim pressure and free throw attempts rather than threes. He didn’t attempt one in Memphis before missing both in Toronto. Queta did not shoot any threes after trying seven in EuroBasket. An end of the shot clock situation allowed him to pull-up from mid range on the move for a shot that rimmed out. He committed uncharacteristic screening fouls.
For Tillman, losing 12 pounds and getting his knee right with an injection earlier in the year showed flashes reminiscent of the intriguing defensive prospect the Celtics acquired from the Grizzlies in 2024. He’s a tough fit at center due to his offensive limitations, and probably would need to fit in as a four knocking down his threes. Wednesday showed some promise for the former, though, as he screened and played an effective handoff game while navigating a drop alongside other schemes on defense. He’s part of the dynamic after exiting last season as an unknown. For **Amari Williams**, a passing prospect who joined the Celtics on a two-way as a second-round pick, a chance to play in Boston could be closer than it appears given the franchise’s depth at the position and uncertain outlook for later in the season.
Much of it rests on Queta reaching his potential while the others play to their strengths. Garza fits as a second unit hub. Boucher prefers to play center. Then, Tillman can mix in wherever the defense needs him.
“You get to know guys and hold them accountable to the person that we think (Queta) can be, not the person that he is now,” Mazzulla said. “He’s done a great job being patient, working hard, taking the necessary steps on the trajectory of his career, going from a two-way … third string big, now having the opportunity of being an every night big. That comes with responsibility, that comes with ownership, that comes with accountability, that comes with an expectation … he’s gotta deliver for us when he’s out there. He’s got versatility, he can think the game very well … ability to protect the rim, communication. He makes high-energy plays for us.”