Celtics Rumors

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, White, Pritchard, Hauser, Queta

November 27th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis has become an expert on overcoming injuries throughout his NBA career. After he returned Monday slightly ahead of schedule from offseason surgery on his left leg, Porzingis talked about the process he had to go through to get back on the court, writes Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe.

“Honestly, I would say, it was one of the easiest rehabs for me,” Porzingis told reporters. “The only thing was I had to stay off the ankle for four to six weeks, so it was tough. Just on one leg with the scooter, can’t get up the stairs. It was a little bit difficult from that perspective, but once that moment passed and I was able to walk, honestly it felt pretty natural.”

Appearing on the Boston broadcast of Monday’s game, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he recognized that Porzingis was healing faster than expected when he reported for training camp. Optimism about an early return grew as the team watched him during a preseason trip to Abu Dhabi.

Porzingis added that he was eager to get back on the court after being limited in what he could do since Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

“I started to feel pretty good almost a month ago,” he said. “I would say the whole rehab, I was ahead of it all the time. I was itching to do more, start more, sprints, contact one-on-one. I was asking the medical staff to do more, but we were still smart and completed all the stages up to get to this point. I told them that if you guys give me the green light, I want to do it as soon as possible. That was it. I got here maybe even a month early and it’s good to be back out there.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics had to switch more often on defense without Porzingis to serve as their primary shot-blocker, observes Souichi Terada of MassLive. That led to more points surrendered in the paint, so his teammates are glad to have Porzingis back to guard the rim. “I just let him block the shots and not me,” Derrick White said. “KP just does a lot for us. Obviously, rim protection. But just kind of his presence and everything, it’s nice to have him out there.”
Having knockdown shooters Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser coming off the bench often gives the Celtics a huge advantage, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Both played important roles in Monday’s win over the Clippers, as Pritchard went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in a 20-point night, while Hauser was perfect on his three long-distance shots. Pritchard was plus-30 in nearly 26 minutes, and Hauser was plus-27 in 23 minutes. “Our chemistry grows every single day because we’re always working out with each other,” Hauser said. “I feel like each of us does different things well on the court that complement each other in a unique way. It’s been special to see what Payton’s been doing this year. He’s really been playing well. I’ve known for a while he’s been able to do this, so I’m glad everyone else is getting a chance to see it.”
Neemias Queta was back in coach Joe Mazzulla‘s big-man rotation on Monday after not playing in Sunday’s game, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Defensive shortcomings have cut into Queta’s playing time, but he delivered 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes. Al Horford and Luke Kornet both sat out Monday, so it’s not clear if Queta will continue to get opportunities once they return.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Nets, Djurisic, McCain

November 26th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup on Monday in his return from a leg injury that had sidelined him since June and looked like his old self. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Porzingis helped Boston secure a blowout 126-94 win over the Clippers by racking up 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots in just under 23 minutes of action.

“I felt great,” Porzingis said, smiling, after the game. “It was a long rehab, and I was itching to get back out there with this team after winning a championship. It was a good beginning, good first game back.”

As Bontemps points out, while Porzingis’ ability to score around the basket and from beyond the arc will further diversify a Celtics offense that ranks third in the NBA (120.9 offensive rating), his impact on defense figures to be even more significant. Entering Monday’s game, Boston ranked 19th in the NBA in rim defense after placing first in that category last season, Bontemps notes. In Monday’s game, the club set a season high with 11 blocks.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Already shorthanded entering Monday’s matchup in Golden State, the Nets saw Cameron Johnson leave the game in the first half due to a sprained right ankle and Cam Thomas exit in the third quarter after battling a back issue. They still managed to go on a 27-6 second half run and pull out an upset victory over the Warriors, led by Dennis Schröder (17 fourth quarter points) and de facto center Ziaire Williams (19 points, 10 rebounds), as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details. “Shout out to the guys, we lost two more, but our guys stepped up, made big-time shots,” Williams said. “(Trendon Watford) made big-time shots, and it was a team effort. It was super fun out there.”
Hawks rookie Nikola Djurisic, the No. 43 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is fully recovered after undergoing foot surgery in July, according to agent Misko Raznatovic, who says (via Twitter) that the 6’7″ swingman is on track to make his G League debut on Tuesday for the College Park Skyhawks vs. the Long Island Nets. Djurisic is essentially a draft-and-stash prospect — he signed a G League contract for the 2024/25 season and Atlanta still holds his NBA rights.
The 3-13 Sixers have the NBA’s second-worst record, but No. 16 overall pick Jared McCain should be considered the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who makes McCain’s case for the award.

Kristaps Porzingis To Make Season Debut Monday

November 25th, 2024 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis intends to make his season debut Monday evening vs. the Clippers, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Latvian big man is officially listed as probable for the contest, per the team (Twitter link).

Porzingis’ 2024/25 debut was delayed by a left leg injury he sustained during the NBA Finals last season. He underwent surgery in late June and was expected to miss approximately five-to-six months, so he’s right on track from a recovery standpoint — perhaps even a little ahead of schedule.

A one-time All-Star, Porzingis was doing full-court one-on-five work with assistant coaches a couple weeks ago and then was assigned to Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine last Monday to get some practice reps in. Evidently everything went smoothly, as he plans to return tonight vs. L.A.

Although Porzingis is likely to play Monday, the Celtics will probably be without a couple other frontcourt players in Al Horford (illness) and Luke Kornet (left hamstring tightness), who are both listed as doubtful.

Given Porzingis’ lengthy injury history, Boston will almost certainly be cautious with the 29-year-old, at least until he’s back in playing shape. I’d expect him to be on a minutes restriction for the next handful of games, at minimum.

The defending champions haven’t skipped a beat to open the season, with the Celtics currently holding a 14-3 record, the second-best mark in the NBA.

Celtics Notes: Kornet, Tillman, Mazzulla, Brogdon, NBA Cup

November 23rd, 2024 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Neemias Queta has seen an increased role this season, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla turned to two other big men after a sluggish first half at Washington Friday night, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The first was Luke Kornet, who replaced Queta in the starting lineup for the second half. He responded with a 3-for-3 shooting night and a few hustle plays that had his teammates raving after the game.

“Energy, energy. Luke is just a ball of energy,” Jrue Holiday said. “He makes plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet, but when you’re out there playing with him, it’s like he’s just trying to run through a brick wall and you wanna do that with him.”

Later on, Mazzulla inserted Xavier Tillman, who has been out of the rotation for several weeks. Tillman played nine minutes in the second half, including a rare crunch time appearance.

“I just thought that (Xavier’s) been working hard and I felt like the game needed something different,” Mazzulla said. “Those guys are always ready and we wanted to be a little more switching and the last time we played them, we played him and Luke together and he did some great things on the defensive end, especially on (Jonas) Valanciunas. So I just kind of wanted to win those minutes in the fourth quarter. Credit to him just working hard and being ready and I thought he gave us some good stuff.”

There’s more from Boston:

Mazzulla explained that he was “manipulating the environment” on Friday when he got whistled for a technical for angrily confronting referee Ed Malloy after a play where he believed Jaylen Brown got fouled, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Mazzulla admitted it was an intentional tactic, and his players took notice. “I think that it was smart just to know that like he has our back no matter what,” Holiday said. “He was disrespectful in a respectful way, so I think getting that tech just showing us that like, yeah, I’m gonna fight for you guys and then having the crowd behind us even in that situation was big.”
Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon admits being angry after the Celtics traded him to Portland last summer, but he has made peace with the situation, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. After winning Sixth Man of The Year honors and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in his lone season with Boston, Brogdon has moved on to two rebuilding franchises. “You play with the cards you’re dealt at a certain point,” he said. “Things change at some point in your career. For me it’s changed a few times over the past couple of years. It’s embracing the situation that you’re in. I’ve been tasked to lead with these young guys and with this growing team and honestly I’m enjoying it. The Wizards are building the right way.”
After being surprised by Atlanta in their NBA Cup opener, the Celtics have posted back-to-back wins over Cleveland and Washington that have them in a good position to advance, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. They’ll win East Group C if they can beat the Bulls in Chicago and Cleveland defeats the Hawks. If Boston and Atlanta wind up tied at 3-1, the Celtics will have to rely on their point differential, which is currently +14.

Warriors Become First Team To Clinch NBA Cup Quarterfinal Berth

November 23rd, 2024 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are now 3-0 in NBA Cup games, making them the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament. As the NBA announced late on Friday night after Golden State beat New Orleans and Dallas beat Denver (Twitter link), the Warriors have won West Group C, officially securing a quarterfinal berth for December.

The 3-0 Warriors are one game ahead of the 2-1 Mavericks in the NBA Cup standings, while no other team in their group has more than one victory so far. That means the Mavs are the only West Group C club with a chance to match Golden State’s win total, and the Dubs would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario as a result of beating Dallas last Tuesday in their NBA Cup opener.

The winners of the six groups advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with one “wild card” from each conference. The Mavs have a good chance to be that wild card team in the West if they defeat Memphis on December 3, since their +41 point differential in NBA Cup contests is the second-best mark in the league. Point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.

The Rockets (Group A) and Lakers (Group B) are the only two other Western Conference teams who are undefeated in NBA Cup play, putting them in the driver’s seat to join the Warriors in the quarterfinals if they can keep winning.

Over in the East, the Hawks (2-1) could clinch Group C with a win over Cleveland next Friday, assuming the Bulls lose at least one of their two remaining NBA Cup games. If Atlanta loses, a Celtics victory over Chicago on Friday would secure the group for Boston. There are still two undefeated teams apiece in East Group A (Magic, Knicks) and East Group B (Bucks, Pistons).

And-Ones: Playoff Format, Trade Market, All-Star Game, More

November 22nd, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Luke Adams

If the NBA expands to 32 teams in the coming years, executives for Western Conference teams are hopeful it will provide the league an opportunity to revisit the idea of seeding the playoff teams one through 16, regardless of conference, according to Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link).

Assuming Seattle and Las Vegas, the presumed frontrunners, get teams in the next round of expansion, a current Western Conference team – likely one of the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, or Pelicans – would have to move East to balance out the two conferences. Given the relative strength of the East vs. the West, those three clubs may push hard to be the one chosen, but that battle could potentially be avoided by revamping the postseason seeds, Windhorst suggests.

“It would be the right thing to do for the health of the league,” one West general manager told ESPN. “It’s not just about fairness, it’s about giving the fans the best playoff product.”

A change along those lines would require the approval of at least three-quarters of the NBA’s teams (23 of 30), as Bontemps observes, which means at least eight Eastern Conference teams would have to get on board with the idea, potentially voting against their own interests.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Bontemps and Windhorst suggest in the same ESPN story that many scouts and executives around the NBA believe the 2024/25 in-season trade market will take a while to get going. Trades this early in the season are somewhat rare anyway, and new CBA-related restrictions related to aprons and hard caps have only made deals more challenging. “We were looking at a trade concept the other day and there were three reasons the other team wouldn’t be allowed to do it,” one general manager told Windhorst. “One of the rules I didn’t even know about.”
In another Insider-only story for ESPN, Bontemps ranks all 30 NBA teams’ cores, listing each club’s top three building blocks based on both present and future value. The Celtics (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White) top the list, while the Nets (Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Cam Thomas) come in at No. 30.
Joe Vardon and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic provide some additional details on the proposed changes to the NBA’s All-Star format, noting that since the league is expected to split its All-Stars into four teams, the head coaches for the top two teams in each conference (four in total) will likely be invited to All-Star weekend to coach a squad. As Vardon and Vorkunov detail, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for the players on the winning All-Star team to earn $100K, while the players on the losing team earns $25K. The NBA and NBPA need to renegotiate those figures before formally implementing the new format, which would result in three losing teams instead of just one.
In a memo sent to team officials, the NBA urged its players to take extra precautions to secure their homes in the wake of a string of burglaries affecting Bucks big man Bobby Portis and Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, among others. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press has the story.

Celtics Notes: Brissett, Grousbeck, Porzingis, Tillman

November 22nd, 2024 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent forward Oshae Brissett joined his former Celtics teammates for Thursday’s visit to the White House, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Brissett was part of the 2024 championship team after signing a two-year contract with a $2.58MM player option in the summer of 2023. He declined that option over the offseason in hopes of getting a better offer from another team, but that still hasn’t happened.

“It was fun to see Oshae Brissett here,” vice president of basketball operations Mike Warren said. “He hasn’t been around this year but it was cool for him. We got him his ring. That was a neat moment.”

Brissett had a smaller role than he expected last year, averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 55 games while playing a career-low 11.5 minutes per night. However, Robb points out that he still has a strong bond with his ex-teammates. Boston is carrying an open roster spot, but Robb states that it’s unlikely to be filled before the trade deadline and there’s no guarantee Brissett will still be available.

“It was really cool to see Brissy again and have him be here and a part of it,” Derrick White said. “Obviously, he was a big member of our team last year, so it was great to have him here and get the old gang back together.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Following the ceremony, owner Wyc Grousbeck reiterated his plan to remain in his position as governor of the team after the impending sale is completed, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “I don’t have any comments on the sale process,” Grousbeck told reporters. “It’s underway. There’s a lot of interest. That is one comment, I guess, but I’d like to limit it to that. The plan is that I will stay for three more years. That’s what’s laid out. We’ll go from there.”
Kristaps Porzingis may be able to beat the December return date that was projected after offseason surgery, Robb states in a separate story. Team sources told Robb that Porzingis felt good after participating in a scrimmage with G League Maine Celtics this week, and teammates who viewed the session liked what they saw. “I was able to watch a little bit of it,” Al Horford said. “Just excited, excited to see KP out there. He’s doing more and more stuff with us in practice and just really encouraging. Obviously we don’t know when he’s returning, but we’re just excited to see him doing more stuff with us, being more involved playing and getting his legs underneath him.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla was impressed that Xavier Tillman volunteered to take part in the scrimmage to give Porzingis some NBA-level competition, Robb adds. Tillman’s playing time has been severely reduced recently as he has fallen behind Neemias Queta in the Celtics’ big-man rotation. “He just wanted to play,” Mazzulla said. “It was an opportunity to play, and he’s obviously done a great job of just doing what we’ve asked him to do, and so it’s a credit to him. We got a lot of respect for him for making that decision. He’s got to keep getting better and better. He’s brought great character, a great work ethic to it.”

Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Brown, Tatum, Knicks, Barnes

November 20th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey explained his thinking behind some of the comments he made during a team meeting on Monday, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia had fallen to a 2-11 record after losing to the Heat and former Sixers star small forward Jimmy Butler.

Maxey reportedly called out All-NBA Philadelphia center Joel Embiid for tardiness issues and occasional unexcused absences.

“I wanted to speak up,” Maxey said. “I felt the need to do that because I wanted to share that we are better than what we have shown on the floor. There was a lot said, but it is what it is. We said what we had to say and we have to figure out a way to move on to the rest of the season. Everyone understands what’s at stake. Everyone is feeling the hurt.”

Despite an awful start to their season, the Sixers reportedly have no plans to fire either head coach Nick Nurse or general manager Daryl Morey.

Maxey, who had missed Philadelphia’s last six games, suited up alongside fellow All-Stars Embiid and Paul George for the first time this season against Memphis on Wednesday.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

On Tuesday, Celtics All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum helped Boston to end the Cavaliers‘ 15-game winning streak to open the year with beefed-up, physical defense, writes Jay King of The Athletic. “I thought both of them handled the pressure and the physicality well,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We played a little bit slower, but it was more important to get to the proper spacing. It was more important to get our drive-and-kick reads. And they did a great balance of handling the pressure, driving to attack, driving to get to the free-throw line, driving to find guys.” By dropping Cleveland’s record to 15-1, the reigning champs in Boston proved that they remains the class of the conference until further notice, opines Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The Knicks are finally starting to mesh after a shaky start to the season, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York is currently riding high on a three-game win streak. “Just gelling, continuity, getting more acclimated with each other,” new trade acquisition Karl-Anthony Towns said of the club’s improvement. “Just understanding what everyone’s going to do and how they’re going to cut and just building trust with each other.”
Begley also notes that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau continues to reiterate how much he liked the fit of free agent guard Landry Shamet with New York. Shamet, signed to a training camp deal, was cut after suffering a shoulder injury during the preseason. He has been rehabilitating while with New York’s Westchester NBAGL affiliate. Begley anticipates that, should Shamet recover this season, he will have a home with the Knicks.
Raptors All-Star forward Scottie Barnes was cleared to fully participate in practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering an orbital bone fracture last month. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca notes that Barnes’ eventual return could give Toronto a sense of what it has in its present core. The team’s intended starting five of Barnes, Gradey Dick, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl has not logged a single minute together yet this season. Grange notes that Barnes will be on a minutes restriction and will don protective goggles when he does return. “We all know how to play with each other,” Barnes said. “We had some reps at it, but we couldn’t get that many due to some injuries. But now we all know how to fit in with each other, play with each other, get each other going, and we know what we all like. We’ve been at it for a little while. We’ll get things going with time.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Struggles, Embiid, Drummond, Porzingis, Tillman

November 18th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers hold the NBA’s second-worst record at 2-10, only one game ahead of the Raptors for last place in the league. They rank last in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting. Amid the early season struggles, they’ve had some bright spots like rookie Jared McCain‘s strong play and Guerschon Yabusele‘s return to the league.

This version of the Sixers wasn’t built on silver linings. They were built to contend this offseason when they cleared their books in order to sign wing Paul George, re-sign guard Tyrese Maxey, and add several role players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the difficult hand they’ve been dealt with injuries. Each of their three stars – Joel Embiid, Maxey and George – has dealt with a multi-week injury and the trio has yet to suit up in the same game this season.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer ponders whether the injuries are truly the only thing to blame for Philadelphia’s start or if there’s more going on.

“We’ve really got to get serious about the execution side of the offense, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “… It’s not easy with a whole bunch of new guys and guys coming in and out, obviously. But that’s what we are. So we got to get to work on it for sure.”

There are areas for concern even at full health, Pompey opines. Maxey needs to regain his shooting touch from last year, as he’s only made 28.6% of his three-point attempts. George’s averages are also down from last season — he has scored 16.5 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field (down from 22.6 PPG on 47.1% shooting last year). Embiid is also averaging 16.5 PPG on 26.9% shooting in two games. For my money, these are all small sample sizes and the raw numbers seem likely to balance out when the trio plays more together. Still, it’s a trend worth monitoring.

Pompey also adds that late-game struggles are an issue that needs fixing. After taking an eight-point lead on Friday against Orlando, the 76ers surrendered a 16-0 run and ended up losing.

“It seems like it’s every game,” Embiid said. “We have a very good 30 minutes. … [then fall apart] … especially, because we’re not at full strength and [I’m] not myself yet. So it feels like you don’t have a lot of margin for error.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Things likely won’t get any easier for the Sixers on Monday against the Heat. Embiid is listed as doubtful for the tilt in Miami due to an illness, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). If he’s ruled out, it would mark Embiid’s 11th game missed due to injury, illness, or suspension this fall.
Drummond only logged four first-half minutes on Friday against Orlando after missing last Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland while dealing with an illness. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the Sixers‘ backup center looked “a lot bouncier and fresher” in Sunday’s practice, per Nurse. Yabusele logged backup center minutes against Orlando. Rookie second-round pick Adem Bona was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Sunday but was quickly recalled on Monday, per PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner (Twitter link) signaling Philadelphia’s lack of healthy frontcourt options.
Celtics center/forward Kristaps Porzingis has reached the next phase of his recovery process, per a release from the team. As part of his rehab process, he and Xavier Tillman were assigned to the G League’s Maine Celtics for a practice on Monday afternoon. After this practice, the pair will be recalled to Boston where Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload. No further updates on a timeline are available. Porzingis hasn’t yet made his 2024 debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery. Tillman isn’t injured but was a DNP-CD in Boston’s last game and is averaging 1.5 points on 26.1% shooting this season.
The Knicks are undefeated this season when Karl-Anthony Towns has at least four assists, and Ian Begley of SNY writes that the team believes his passing has reached a new level. “He’s always been unselfish. He’s always been a team-first guy. But now I think he really sees things,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands what the defense is trying to do. He knows if there is overhelp. He’s seeing the whole floor now. Initially, like most young guys, the vision was more narrow. It may have been on one guy. But now he sees more than one guy. He sees the defense, he knows where everyone is. (He knows) if there’s overhelp, I can fake here and throw there. That goes a long way.”

Eastern Notes: Nets, Rivers, Embiid, Queta

November 17th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have been competitive thus far, in large part due to their remaining veterans. A source tells Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required) that it may not last for long. The Nets are pointing toward the future and next June’s rich draft, in which they control four first-rounders. They might start a fire sale sooner than later.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm where they’re better and everybody else is worse,” the unnamed source told Lewis, referring to a handful of struggling Eastern Conference teams. “But (the front office is) not going to let them stay in the middle, so they’ll blow it up. You’ve just got to keep building from there, and then we’ll see what they do around December, when they start blowing everything up.”

Dennis Schröder, Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are considered prime trade candidates.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Bucks coach Doc Rivers took a financial hit for criticizing the officials after his team’s loss to Charlotte on Saturday. The NBA has fined him $25K, the league announced (via Twitter).
Joel Embiid has only appeared in two games this season due to knee issues. The reason he’s questionable to play against Miami on Monday is a different story. The Sixers star center is battling an illness, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
The Celtics have played well with big man Neemias Queta in the starting five. He has strong net ratings with all the other starters, Brian Robb of MassLive.com notes, and Boston is 3-1 with him in the lineup. “He can protect the rim, he can protect the paint, you could switch him one through five,” guard Jrue Holiday said. “Guards like to go at him, but he’s such a big body and has so much length to be able to protect from the three-point line, and then he’s quick enough to kind of meet you at the rim too. Neemi gives us versatility and is a really good defender.” Queta re-signed with the club for three seasons over the summer.

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