Surprising center returns after Kristaps Porzingis is injured

The Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions, started the 2024 season with an excellent record of 7-1 and are only behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

What is particularly surprising is that it is without star center Kristaps Porziņģis.

The former All-Star was an integral part of the Celtics’ championship run last season, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, two assists and 1.9 blocks per game in 57 games.

Unfortunately, Porziņģis was unable to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair a reinaculum injury.

This means other players have had to step up in his absence, the most surprising of which was Neemias Queta.

In most of his games this season, Queta has played minimal playing time. However, he delivered an outstanding performance while starting in Boston’s win against the Atlanta Hawks.

In 23 minutes, Queta recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block in his first career start in the NBA.

This is the third time Queta’s defensive presence has had an impact on a game. He nearly pulled off an overtime comeback with a total of nine rebounds against the Indiana Pacers and a dominant game against the Charlotte Hornets, where he scored 12 points, a total of six rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes.

Needless to say, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is excited about Queta and is pleased with his development as a player.

“He’s grown a lot as a player and he honestly doesn’t know how good he can be,” Mazzulla said, according to Brian Robb of Mass Live. “He has a great ceiling and so the standard is very high and I think he did some great things for us tonight.”

“When you’re as good as he can be, we have to keep him at that level every night. It’s an honor for them that we got to coach him and it’s an honor for the boys that they supported him. You can see what he’s capable of when he’s at his best and he could be a real asset to us.”

“He works really hard, he cares, he wants to be coached. I’m grateful that he lets me coach him. He’s starting to realize how good he can be and he’s working on it.”

While he likely won’t take Porzingis’ spot, Queta has proven to be a perfect rotation player for a championship-caliber team that already looks stronger.

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