Kristaps Porzingis Unsure Of Celtics Big Man’s Role This Season

The Boston Celtics said goodbye to all of their primary centers from last season this summer, including Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet.

One of the few holdovers in the frontcourt is 26-year-old Neemias Queta. With few other options, the 2021 second-round pick is expected to be the Celtics starting center, at least to begin the 2025-26 season.

Porzingis (who’s now with the Atlanta Hawks) recently discussed Queta’s opportunity to potentially become a starter in Boston.

“Starter? Good question,” Porzingis said on Monday after playing against Queta in a group-stage game at EuroBasket 2025. “Who else is there? I don’t know. I haven’t thought about their roster, honestly, too deep.”

Queta’s main competition for the starting gig will likely include offseason signing Luka Garza and second-round rookie Amari Williams. Fellow newcomer Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman could also see minutes at the five.

Queta is entering his third season with the Celtics after originally signing with the club in September 2023, shortly after being waived by the Sacramento Kings. The Portugal native had played just 48 games prior to the 2024-25 campaign but appeared in a career-high 62 contests last season, making his first six starts as well.

Queta leads Portugal in points (15.0), rebounds (8.5) and blocks per game (2.0) during EuroBasket 2025.

“What I will say is Neemi has been getting better each year, and Coach (Joe) Mazzulla has been pretty tough on him,” Porzingis said. “I believe that he’s getting to a point where he deserves some real minutes, some real rotation minutes. He’s been putting in the work, and you can see how he’s playing now in the tournament. I’m happy for Neemi. He’s a great, great dude, really cool person, and puts in the time, puts in the work. I’ll be happy to see him getting a lot more minutes this year.”