Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics
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Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics won for the sixth time in their last nine games on Sunday night, drubbing the Bucks by 29 points to move to 31-18 and stay in second play in the Eastern Conference, a remarkable feat considering the expectations for this team entering the year. And as has become evident in the last few weeks, if the Celtics were weighing this season as one in which they could not focus on the standings and instead focus on clearing off the payroll books to create future flexibility, that notion has gone out the window.
It is a good team even without star Jayson Tatum, who is recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. At the very least, the Celtics should keep the roster intact, and, indeed, there have been reports that they will even look to add an upgrade at center.
Boston probably will not land a center who will surpass Neemias Queta on the depth chart, but they can land a better backup. That’s likely to be their focus this week.
Celtics ‘Stick to the Process’
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the team’s approach to the deadline on Sunday night, and as one might expect, Mazzulla indicated his team isn’t thinking much about it, no matter how much chatter is circling in the NBA ether. Though the outside focus is on big men, Mazzulla is keeping his team’s focus in the moment.
“We just stick to the process every day of what gives you the chance to win that particular day,” he said. “Maximize the day— is it a game day, is it an off day, is it a day where we gotta come in and watch film? Is it a day where we gotta practice? You have to understand what day you’re at and make sure you put your focus on that.”
Queta, in his fifth NBA season, has finally got a chance to start and is making the most of it. He is averaging 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes, and has started 44 of the 45 games in which he has appeared. He had started only six games in his career before this season.
Neemias Queta, Boston Celtics
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty ImagesNeemias Queta, Boston Celtics
NBA Trade Deadline Likely Quiet in Boston
While it may be true that the Celtics would like to bring in a center who could be an upgrade of Queta, there are two pretty good reasons why that could prove impossible. One is that the Celtics are limited in their assets, about $12 million over the luxury tax and still with a desire to get underneath that. They could trade this year’s first-round draft pick, or trade their 2031 pick.
But the bigger reason why there is likely to be no deal for a starter is that there just aren’t many on the market. For Mazzulla, that’s not a problem.
“The best thing about this roster is each guy’s ability to impact winning in different ways,” Mazzulla said when asked about adding at the deadline. “And so it can happen whether you start, whether you come off the bench or whether you play five minutes, 20 minutes, every guy on this roster has helped us win a game, possessions, end of quarters, start of quarters, and to me that’s the most important thing.
“Making sure we have guys that have understanding of what we do and feel validated that what they do gives us a chance every night and do it every night.”