Who will be the starting center of the Boston Celtics in 2025-26?
The center is the most greeting location in Boston. The Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks on July 7, with Luke Kornet signing with the San Antonio Masturs and Al Horford is expected to sign elsewhere.
Brad Stevens, president of Boston basketball business, has won two new centers, but Masslive's Brian Robb believes experience will win when it comes to winning the starting role.
“Given the continuity of people and the fact that there is someone who needs to bounce back on this team, Neemias Queta feels like a leader in the center,” Robb wrote on Friday.
Queta is Portugal’s 7-foot, 250-pound man, and has been ranked 39th overall since 2021, but he still has only 26.
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Queta is the first Portuguese player to compete in an NBA game, joining the Celtics in 2023 through a two-way contract and signing a standard multi-year contract in 2024. In 2024-25, Queta competed in a career-high 62 games, including six. He averaged 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per 36 minutes, with a high shooting percentage of 65%.
Notable performances include 19 points, 9 games, six games against the Washington Wizards, and two doubles against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Queta's main competition in the starting position will be Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman and rookie Amari Williams. Garza is an outstanding Iowa State game in the first 6-foot-10, averaging 5.6 minutes per game in 39 games last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, with high scores and rebounds per person. Tillman, primarily a 6-foot-7 power forward, offers defensive versatility, but struggles with rebounding and edge protection, reducing his case for starting center role. Williams, the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is a raw prospect that he might be perfecting his game in the G League as early as his career (just like Queta).
Rob believes Queta's continuity with the Celtics and his rebounding ability make him the leader, and it's hard to disagree with the assessment.
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