Surprising center moves up after Kristaps Porzingis injury

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

What is particularly surprising about this 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 has not been able to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair a reinaculum injury.

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

In most of his games this season, Queta has played minimal time. However, he turned in an outstanding performance when he started 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 NBA start.

This is the third time Queta’s defensive presence has had an effect on a game. He nearly fueled an overtime comeback against the Indiana Pacers with nine total rebounds and had a dominant game against the Charlotte Hornets, recording 12 points, six total rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes.

Needless to say, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has taken to Queta and is happy with how he has grown as a player.

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

“When you’re as good as he could be, we all have to hold him to that standard every single night. Credit to them for allowing us to train him, credit to the guys for supporting him. You can see what he’s capable of when he’s at his best and he can be a real asset for us.”

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

While he’s unlikely to 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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