BOSTON —Neemias Queta went down with a left ankle sprain in the first quarter of Sunday’s Celtics game against the Orlando Magic, and the team later shared he was questionable to return.
After the game,
Joe Mazzulla did not have an update, sharing he had yet to speak with his starting center.
At practice on Tuesday, Joe Mazzula maintained he had not seen Queta nor spoken with him, but Queta did make a brief appearance, walking across the practice court in sneakers on his way to the weight room.
How does that bode for Queta’s availability ahead of Wednesday’s Celtics game against the Detroit Pistons? That remains to be seen.
But with Queta potentially slated to miss some time, the Celtics will have to identify another solution in the frontcourt.
Queta has started all 17 games for Boston this season, and the Celtics have outscored opponents by a team-best 16.4 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, when he’s off the floor, the Celtics have been outscored by 6.4 points per 100 possessions.
Most of the impact is felt on the defensive end; in 382 minutes with Queta on the floor, the Celtics’ defensive rating is 105.3, which would be good for second-best in the NBA. In 340 minutes with him off the floor, the Celtics’ defensive rating is 125.4, which would be the third-worst in the league.
The 26-year-old is averaging 9.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game.
And, Queta’s teammates know that everyone will have to step up if he is to miss extended time.
“He provides a lot of shot-blocking,” said Sam Hauser. “Without his presence down there, we have to make up for it in other ways — be aggressive, keep guys out of the paint, rebound really well collectively, and just trying to be a playmaker on defense.”
In Neemias Queta’s place, the Celtics have several options
Luka Garza has been Joe Mazzulla’s preferred choice as backup center this season; he’s averaged 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game, while shooting 56.7% from the field and 43.5% from three. But the defense has not been as effective with the former Iowa star anchoring the post.
Mazzulla has a few other options. Xavier Tillman has only appeared in 8 games this season, but has appeared in critical moments, and was on the floor to close out a clutch-time win over the Philadelphia 76ers last month. And, Chris Boucher played some minutes at center on Sunday, but has been used sparingly by Mazzulla.
“We don’t really have a guy that replaces what Neemy does for us,” said Derrick White. “So it’s got to be just a group effort, obviously — X, Luka, Chris, they’re gonna get a bigger chance, and we’re gonna need a lot from them. But, it’s also on us — we don’t have Neemy back there to kind of take out some of the problems or the mistakes we make on the perimeter. So it’s gonna be a team effort — rebounding, everything. Hopefully, he comes back as quickly as possible, but we all gotta step up.”
