The Celtics’ starting five may not be locked in yet, and that uncertainty starts in the middle. Neemias Queta handled the job well enough last season to become a full-time starter for the first time in his career, but Boston’s decision to bring in Mitchell Robinson in free agency has changed the picture.
Queta isn’t treating it like a battle for his peace of mind. Speaking Saturday at a dedication ceremony for a Portuguese-themed basketball court, he made it clear he’s focused on the bigger picture and happy to have Robinson in the building.
“That’s a Joe [Mazzulla] thing to figure out,” Queta said. “I’m just out there welcoming my new teammates with open arms.
Mitchell is going to be a great addition for us. I’m extremely happy that I don’t have to go against him any more because he used to get all these rebounds, so it’s going to be good to have him on our side.”
Queta backed up his case last season with production that gave Boston real reason to trust him. In 76 games, he averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
The Celtics then rewarded him in July with a four-year, $56MM extension. Since then, he’s spent the offseason sharpening a few specific parts of his game.
“I’ve been working on different facets of the game, being more versatile offensively, being more complete,” he said. “Making good decisions with the ball, whether it’s a pass, or being able to go get my own shot.”
Boston’s roster churn hasn’t just touched the frontcourt. Hugo Gonzalez, who had a strong rookie season, still found himself in trade rumors over the summer. According to reports, the Bucks wanted the 20-year-old forward included in Boston’s offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Celtics declined.
Gonzalez said the speculation comes with the territory in the NBA.
“It’s just something that you know when you’re going to the NBA,” Gonzalez told CLNS Media. “You can get traded. I wouldn’t be the first person to get traded or the last person to get traded.”
Payton Pritchard’s situation is a little different, but just as unsettled. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2025, then showed he could handle starting duties too, making 50 starts in 79 games last season. After the Anfernee Simons trade, though, he moved back to a reserve role because Boston needed another ball-handler off the bench.
That doesn’t mean the role is set for next season. With Mike Conley now in the mix as an experienced backup point guard, Souichi Terada of MassLive notes that Pritchard could wind up moving between the starting lineup and the second unit as the year goes on.
And as for the starters themselves, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston and other staff members have already begun projecting how Boston lines up. Forsberg pointed out that Joe Mazzulla used 23 different starting combinations throughout 2025/26, with most of the changes coming on the wing while Jayson Tatum was out.
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Celtics New Uniforms Hint At A Bigger Reset Before Camp
The Celtics are heading into training camp with more than a few fresh faces, and the new uniforms only add to the sense that Boston is stepping into a different version of itself. With Paul George, Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson joining the mix for the 2026-27 season, the team is making a clear effort to reshape the roster around a new look, on and off the floor.
Camp opens Sept. 28, and that will be the first real chance for Joe Mazzulla to sort through the lineup questions that come with a roster this altered. Roles will have to be defined quickly, chemistry will have to be built even faster, and the Celtics will be trying to make sure this reset feels like the start of something more than just a cosmetic change. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics May See A Familiar Opportunity In One Risky Roster Bet
The Celtics have built a useful part of their recent roster story around finding value where other teams let it slip away, and Devin Carter now fits that mold. After being waived by Atlanta, Carter has emerged as a reported target for Boston as a free agent, with the appeal obvious for a team that has made a habit of taking low-cost chances on players whose best days may still be ahead of them.
Boston has seen this kind of path work before, from Ron Harper Jr. turning a two-way opening into a standard contract and then a longer commitment, to players like Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta carving out real roles after entering the organization as under-the-radar additions. Carter would be another swing in that same lane, and the Celtics will have to decide whether this is the sort of bet worth making at a time when every roster spot carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Kara Lawsons Celtics Tenure Still Shows Brad Stevens Impact
Kara Lawsons time around Brad Stevens in Boston still comes up as a kind of coaching touchstone, and for good reason. In a recent appearance on Jason Garretts podcast, Lawson talked about how Stevens led with a steady respect for people and how that influenced the way she approaches her own teams now. The former Celtics assistant, who is now leading Dukes womens program, has carried those lessons into a style built around camaraderie, empowerment and trust.
The results have followed at Duke, where Lawson has helped the Blue Devils win back-to-back ACC Tournament titles and earned ACC Coach of the Year honors along the way. For Celtics fans, it is another reminder of how Stevens imprint extended beyond Xs and Os, shaping coaches who took pieces of his approach and made them their own. Lawsons success also raises the familiar question around any Brad Stevens coaching tree: just how far those lessons can keep spreading. [Read more 🡒]