The Celtics are on the hunt for a big man ahead of the trade deadline. However, finding a new starting center to displace Neemias Queta is not something that is necessarily going to be on Brad Stevens’ to-do list.
The 26-year-old big man returned to Boston’s lineup after a one-game absence on Friday and delivered a dominant performance on the glass. He posted 10 points and 15 rebounds to help the Celtics cruise to a 112-93 win over the Kings. The performance caps another stellar month for the big man, who was handed the starting job in training camp after the departures of Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis. Queta continues to be a reliable anchor in the middle of Boston’s stellar offense, earning praise from both Joe Mazzulla and his teammates.
“He’s a great player,” Mazzulla said postgame. “So I mean, his ability to, I’d say, both ends of the floor, defensively, his ability to protect the rim, our ability to cross-match when he’s out there, offensively, like you said, his screening vs. different coverages, his offensive rebounding. I mean, he’s grown and developed into a very important player for us, and you can see a difference when we have him.”
That type of play makes Brad Stevens’ life a bit easier in the week ahead as the team looks to add some reinforcements next to Queta and Luka Garza. Stevens would have had to aim high if those two low-cost options failed to break through. Instead, Queta has looked like an above-average starting center this year, averaging 10 points and 8.5 rebounds per game with some terrific on/off numbers.
Finding a player who’s better than Queta that the Celtics have the assets (and cap flexibility) to acquire at center is no easy task. Finding a running mate for Queta (and an upgrade over Garza) is much more attainable.
The fact that Boston doesn’t need to bring in someone to disrupt their starting group and chemistry is a very promising sign for this 30-18 group. Queta has taken a strong hold of that starting spot and isn’t going to let go anytime soon, as he’s developed a strong partnership with Boston’s guards, particularly in the pick-and-roll.
“A lot of it is he’s working with the coaches,” Payton Pritchard said. “I think he’s done a tremendous job. He’s taken a drastic step forward in learning where to be, the right places. And I think there’s still a lot of growth left in him. Like, he’s just scratching the surface.”
The Celtics have gotten a lot of surprise contributions across the roster this year from young players, but none have been as important as Queta given the offseason frontcourt exodus. His postseason track record is unproven but the Celtics now have an inexpensive building block to move forward with. Finding a complement for Queta as opposed to his replacement looks like a reasonable goal for Brad Stevens next week as he looks to push this team closer to contending.