Last season, Neemias Queta emerged as a surprise performer for the Boston Celtics.
Queta had stepped into a starting role for Joe Mazzulla’s team after both Al Horford and Luke Kornet had left in free agency. Unfortunately, Queta’s inexperience led to a difficult stretch of games once the postseason rolled around.
As such, Brad Stevens moved to add some more experience to Boston’s big man rotation. He signed Mitchell Robinson in free agency. When speaking with Portugese outlet A Bola, Queta shared his thoughts on Boston’s latest big man addition.
“What I appreciate is not having to box out against him because it was very difficult,” Queta said. “He’s a very strong, very agile player, capable of going in and winning almost every offensive rebound. Having a player of this level, who defends so well and can cause so much trouble on the offensive boards, will be very good because we are quite similar basketball players and we can bring many similar things to the team, which is essential.”
Queta, Robinson and Luka Garza will now spend the upcoming season battling for minutes. Nevertheless, the Celtics now have one of the best offensive rebounding front-courts in the Eastern Conference, if not the NBA.
Celtics May Need To Manage Robinson’s Minutes
When speaking on the Celtics Chronicle podcast shortly after Robinson’s signing was announced, Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School shared his thoughts on how Boston can manage Robinson’s injury history.
“There was never a specific minutes limit, so to speak,” Macri said. “I think there were some games this year where he played in the high 20s, over 25. (But) You can probably count them on one hand…They basically treated him like a sub-20-minute-a-game player in the league…So your starting line is not 82 games, assuming the Celtics also continue with the plan, and they may not.”
Macri continued.
“If they don’t, that would actually worry me more as a Celtics fan if the Celtics were like, ‘You know what? We’re gonna run Mitchell Robinson out there on the second night back-to-backs. We’re gonna be fine with it.‘ If they continue treating him with kid gloves, your ceiling is probably 20 to 25 minutes per night over 65 games, and that’s not even factoring in other injuries.”
Should the Celtics choose to follow a similar blueprint to the Knicks, it’s likely that Robinson will spend most of the season as Boston’s second-string big man.
Queta Is Pleased With New Celtics’ Contract
During the same conversation with A Bola, Queta also discussed his happiness at signing a new contract. He inked a four-year $56 million deal earlier this summer.
“For me, money was not the most important thing of all,” Queta said. “The most important thing was to know that Boston bet on me for another four years. I’ll be able to continue to call Boston home all this time, without having to look over my shoulder. Without having to worry about the next season.”
Queta continued.
“…There is uncertainty when you are a free agent. It creates certain difficulties in terms of knowing how to manage the year, injuries and everything, and I didn’t want to be thinking about it. It was quite good for me, and I am flattered to have that trust from the front office.”
Queta’s new deal will kick in next summer. When looking at the level of growth he displayed this past season, there’s no telling how good he’ll be by the time his extension kicks in.
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