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“He’s just grown a lot as a player and honestly, he doesn’t know how good he can be,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He has a great ceiling. So the level is very high. I thought he did great things for us tonight, but when you’re as good as he can be, you have to hold him to that standard every night.”
Obtain starting point
“It’s an honor for him to coach us and an honor for the guys who support him, but you see what he’s capable of when he’s at his best,” Mazzulla added. “He could be a real asset for us this season. He works very hard. He cares. He wants to be coached… he’s starting to realize how good he can be and he’s working on it.”
Queta, who made the All-NBA G-League First team and the All NBA G-League All-Defensive team last year with the Maine Celtics, has seen a slight increase in minutes now that Kristaps Porzingis is out.
The Celtics started the game with a double-major lineup, playing Queta at the five and Al Horford at the four.
Queta hit an alley-oop from Jrue Holiday about two minutes into the game. He was active on both ends of the floor and tied Kornet for the team lead with seven rebounds. He blocked a shot, had a steal and went 4-for-7 from the field while committing just two errors.
“I think he’s feeling just a little bit more comfortable,” Celtics guard Derrick White said of Queta’s development before the game. “He knows where to be. He seems to be in the right place at the right time and obviously we know offensive rebounds and him as an athlete. It’s a little different from the other big players we have, so it’s a nice change.”
“I think Neemy is our most athletic big,” White added. “I don’t think that’s controversial. Sorry, Luke (Kornet). He’s a little more athletic and he just moves well there.”
Queta split time between Maine and Boston last year, spending 28 games with the Celtics and eight with the Maine Celtics. He has not yet played in the G-League this season.
With Porzingis out and the Celtics in need of frontcourt depth, the 25-year-old Queta will continue to get opportunities to show what he can do.
Khari Thompson can be reached at [email protected].