BOSTON — While the Celtics brought back virtually their same rotation from last season, they haven’t fully flexed the might of their roster yet. There’s a good reason for that as Kristaps Porzingis continues to rehab after offseason surgery. Plus, Al Horford has yet to play in the preseason as the team has sat him the first four games.
All of that means extra opportunities for the Celtics’ reserve big men rotation of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta. Notably, both Tillman and Kornet got the night off in the preseason win over the Raptors. That allowed Queta to not only start but make the most of his extra reps in Sunday’s win at the Garden.
“Joe (Mazzulla’s) been honest about coming in and picking up the holes, whether it’s Al, KP, any other of the guys,” Queta said. “When they miss (time), a new guy has to step up and bring it on every day. I feel like we just lock in on that and own it. It was just another example of how much we can impact winning.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
Queta finished Sunday’s victory with 12 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes. That was a nice boost for the Celtics as they hope for more consistency out of Queta throughout the long regular season. Like last year, he’ll have nights where the Celtics will need productive minutes out of their big.
At this point, it appears Kornet is in-line for that starter role with Porzingis out and whenever Horford is unavailable. Entering his age-38 season, the Celtics are going to be cautious with Horford’s minutes throughout the season just like the past few years. But each of Kornet, Tillman and Queta bring different traits to the game, so the Celtics will also lean on matchups.
Notably, there’s been little drama between the three big men as they improve together. When the C’s acquired Tillman at the trade deadline last year, Kornet didn’t miss a beat in welcoming his new teammate. That low-drama locker room was a plus for the Celtics as they marched to Banner No. 18. And now as part of a new season, those good vibes have seemingly continued for the big men rotation.
“It’s a good relationship, for sure,“ Queta said. ”Me and Luke work out pretty much every day, constantly learning from each other. And then X, he’s been my guy ever since he got here. I’ve been connecting with him really well. It’s good to see the development at the end of the day.”
