Neemias Queta didn’t appear in front of the media often during preseason, sitting out the opener, scoring only four points with five turnovers in Toronto before Chris Boucher starter over him the win over the Cavs. Joe Mazzulla never fully committed to the prohibitive starter actually becoming one and Brad Stevens simply gave Queta a good shot on media day. Queta also didn’t take it for granted, leaving it up to Mazzulla before the head coach dropped a hint following the preseason finale, when Queta joined
the the lineup.
“Tonight was good,” Mazzulla said, interrupting a question about the big man after the game. “It’s hard. We’re gonna be hard on Neemy and I’m really looking forward to coaching him throughout the year, but as I told him, this is what you’ve worked your whole life for is the chance to start for the Celtics, and I think you see this with players when they step into different phases of their career. Where it’s easy to be the rookie and it’s easy to be the fourth string big and it’s easy to be the backup, and now it’s like, hey, gotta develop the mindset to deliver every night and I think he has that.”
“I think it took some time, but yesterday in practice, two days ago in practice and tonight’s game, he showed what he’s capable of and we just gotta hold him to that standard and he takes pride in that, he works at it. What we saw tonight, I think he can be better than that, but that’s the guy we need more times than not.”
While he didn’t know whether he’d start on opening night after the final practice of training camp, Queta and the other four longest-tenured Celtics took the floor for tip-off and despite getting pulled three minutes in and later fouling out, Queta returned as a starter for the Knicks game. He’s now started throughout Boston’s 1-3 start, and while he’s accepting some blame for a 29th-ranked defensive rebounding start and has struggled with fouling at times, he also averaged 8.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game on 60% shooting. The Celtics out-scored opponents by 11.1 points per 100 possessions compared to posting a -4.1 net rating with him off the floor.
That proved enough to maintain his role despite constant experimenting and lineup-shuffling occurring elsewhere. Xavier Tillman Sr.’s minutes diminished after shouldering a significant load on opening night. Chris Boucher played sparingly to start the year, and didn’t appear at center at all. Luka Garza missed time in concussion protocol and also posted mix results, playing during the decisive defensive rebounding meltdown late in Detroit and helping run away with the New Orleans game in the fourth quarter. For Queta, who saw few surprises in the start to his life as an NBA starter, he noticed the need to not ride the nightly highs-and-lows.
“I think it’s all about staying even-keeled like you said, but at the same time, we knew what we needed to get better at,” Queta told CLNS Media. “We were doing great stuff. Like I said, great first possession defensively, we just couldn’t corral it with rebounds. We were playing really hard, we were getting good looks, sharing the ball, shots weren’t falling, but we were still looking for shooters … this league will humble you, and you just gotta stick with it. I’ve been humbled a bunch of times in this league. Like I said, it’s always about playing with your emotions and not letting them get the best of you … be ready for the next one. That’s the good thing about this league, you always got a game coming up in either one or two days, and you fight to bounce back.”
Mazzulla liked Queta’s connectivity plays in the win over the Pelicans, whether offensive rebounds turning into a block the other way or defensive rebounds flowing into a good screen. He’s executed solid angles to free his teammates, stonewalled a few opponents at point blank range in front of the rim and slipped out of four straight screens to score eight points late in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia. His 4.5 screen assists per game rank among the league leaders. While not flashing the three-pointer he teased at EuroBasket, he’s preparing to shoot them when he’s left open. Opponents hadn’t left Garza open in pick-and-pop situations either until Monday.
While the bigs will capture the criticism for the rebounding issue, something Queta owned, Mazzulla acknowledged that their coverages and aggressiveness on defense hurt them on that end. They reined that in late in during the New Orleans game, focusing instead on keeping bodies in front of them while closing out the win with a 35-12 fourth quarter. Sometimes, Mazzulla said, their bigs have been positioned on the perimeter by the scheme.
“I think I’ve handled (starting) pretty well, as good as you can imagine,” Queta said. “I’m still growing in this role, I’m learning how to adjust to all this stuff, but I’m definitely satisfied with how I’ve been handling these emotions and how the game be going. It’s pretty much the same thing, everything (the coaches) see, they’re proactive on it and they don’t let it slide for later. I’m just trying to take it in and learn from whatever mistakes I make. We’re all in this together.”
Brown noticed some long bounces going over their heads, while Queta said on Wednesday morning that a mix of not working early, not using two hands and letting opponents into the paint without getting hit have hurt Boston on the boards. They’re 11th in offensive rebounding rate, led by Queta’s seven on that end at New Orleans, which Mazzulla called the key alongside forcing turnovers to counteracting their defensive rebounding issues.
Staying even-keeled means not riding the highs either. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen loom on Wednesday, a Joel Embiid rematch on Friday and the Rockets’ pair of towers on a Saturday back-to-back. Five games in seven nights. So Queta didn’t even smile in the locker room after his best game of the season, but he did take a moment to acknowledge how special it is to have earned a starting role. At TD Garden, that comes with the mention of where he’s from — the first NBA player and champion from Portugal who still has more to accomplish.
“It’s pretty good, it’s really good to have these moments,” Queta told CLNS. “I’m trying to embrace them. It’s surreal. Looking back, I didn’t think I would be in this position, but I gotta embrace it and make the best out of it.”
