Celtics reserve center deserves more opportunity after rally vs. Pacers

Neemias Queta had not seen much of an opportunity with the Celtics this season entering Wednesday’s game with the Pacers. Joe Mazzulla gave the big man a chance against the Wizards last week but otherwise he’s been relegated to mostly garbage time minutes behind Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman off the bench.

That equation changed in the fourth quarter against the Pacers on Wednesday night. Boston was facing a 21-point deficit with 8:54 remaining in the fourth quarter but Mazzulla wasn’t ready to pull the plug on the game yet. He brought three reserves into the game including Queta but still left Jaylen Brown on the court with Payton Pritchard.

Slowly but surely, the Celtics started to chip away at a 21-point deficit and Queta was front-and-center for the entire comeback. He was a monster on the glass against the undersized Pacers, piling up nine rebounds in just 14 minutes including four on the offensive glass.

Queta’s athleticism and rim protection were also on display. The backup center looked speedy compared to Boston’s other bigs in keeping up with the uptempo Pacers squad that had burned the visitor’s defense for much of the night. With Queta in the lineup that changed. Boston trimmed the Pacers’ lead down to 14 points with five minutes left and Mazzulla rewarded Queta for his play by sticking with him for crunch time over Al Horford.

His late-game contributions included a key crunch time block with 43 seconds remaining on Ben Sheppard helped Boston pull off an improbable rally and close regulation with a 33-12 run to force overtime. The Celtics ultimately fell short in a 135-132 loss but Queta was largely viewed as the biggest spark in the near comeback.

“It’s a credit to him, a credit to the guys who just always stayed ready,” Mazzulla told reporters in Indiana postgame. “We just went with different lineups to try and chip away at it. Everybody played a role in that. I thought we did a great job on both ends of the floor, just his activity, his physicality gave us a spark. So it was great stuff by him and I appreciate that.”

The Celtics signed Queta to a three-year contract this offseason that includes a team option for the 2026-27 season. The 25-year-old was a surprise contributor as a two-way center last year for Boston’s shorthanded front court early in the year but he may be entering a new stage of his career now.

Boston’s other backup bigs (Kornet, Tillman) are more proven and reliable but Queta provides a different dynamic than both of them. He’s an imposing physical presence at the rim and clearly has worked well to improve his mobility entering this year. That ability may be needed more for a Celtics team that has been burned regularly in transition defense to begin this season.

With Kristaps Porzingis expected to miss at least another month of action, the time may be right to see what Mazzulla has in a more seasoned Queta this year. In certain matchups, he may be the better option than Kornet or Tillman as we saw in Indiana. Providing some youthful energy is also important for a Celtics squad to keep the onus off veterans like Al Horford or Jrue Holiday during a 82-game grind. Keeping Tillman healthy for the playoffs is critical too given his matchup ability.

In another year or two, it’s very possible Queta could be a regular rotation player for this team or even a starter if his development pushes forward. It’s unclear just how much longer Horford plans to play beyond this year and cost cutting moves could hit as soon as this summer as a monster repeater tax looms. That reality makes cheap emerging talent like Queta all the more intriguing and important.

Performances like we saw on Wednesday night certainly justifies more opportunities for the seven-footer. Whether Queta can turn into a consistent reliable option for Mazzulla remains to be seen but it might be time for the Celtics to find out.