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Kristaps Porzingis doesnāt mince words about Celticsā poor center depth
"Who else is there? I donāt know, I havenāt thought about their roster, honestly."
Kristaps Porzingis reunited with former Celtics teammate Neemias Queta during the EuroBasket tournament on Monday, with Porzingis’ Latvia team defeating Queta and Portugal, 78-62.
Porzingis posted 21 points in the win, but Queta was strong for Portugal with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Queta’s play so far during EuroBasket should be a welcome sight for Celtics fans — considering that the 7-foot center might be primed to take over as Boston’s starting big man for the 2025-26 season.
At this stage of the offseason, Queta might be the only viable frontcourt option on Boston’s depleted roster.
Boston’s painful offseason has seen the Celtics lose several key cogs, headlined by the trades of Porzingis and fellow starter Jrue Holiday in order to alleviate the Celtics’ salary-cap related limitations.
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Porzingis’ size, post play, rim protection, and 3-point shooting will be missed on a Celtics roster that is already expected to miss Jayson Tatum for most of — if not the entire — season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
But the Celtics’ depth behind Porzingis has also taken a sizable hit, with veteran Al Horford reportedly expected to sign with the Golden State Warriors at some point this offseason.
Horford’s rumored exit further compounds Boston’s frontcourt woes, especially after another 7-foot big man in Luke Kornet put pen to paper on a four-year, $41 million contract with the Spurs in July.
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With Porzingis, Horford, and Kornet no longer in the equation, all signs point to Queta — who averaged just 13.9 minutes per game last season — as the next man up for Boston at the center position.
Speaking after Latvia’s win, Porzingis offered up a candid take about Queta’s elevated role amid Boston’s roster reshuffle.
“Starter? Good question,” Porzingis said of Queta while speaking to Basketnews. “Who else is there? I don’t know, I haven’t thought about their roster, honestly. But what I will say is Neemi has been getting better each year. And Coach Mazzulla has been pretty tough on him. And I believe he’s getting to a point where he deserves some real minutes, some real rotation minutes.”
The Celtics have added some backup options up front this offseason via free agency and the draft — with Brad Stevens signing both Luka Garza and Chris Boucher to contracts while adding 6-foot-11 big man Amari Williams in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Still, the writing is on the wall that Queta could be in line for a sizable uptick in minutes this fall as Joe Mazzulla tries to find a new top option up front. For Porzingis, a player like Queta has earned that opportunity to step into a greater role moving forward.
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“He’s been putting in the work,” Porzingis said of Queta. “And you can see how he’s playing now in the tournament. And I’m happy for Nimi. He’s a great, great dude. Really, like, really cool person. And puts in the time, puts in the work. And I’ll be happy to see him getting a lot more minutes this year.”
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