The Boston Celtics may have a little more spacing in mind for Neemias Queta this season, and the big man is clearly interested in seeing how far that can go.
At training camp, Queta said he spent the offseason sharpening his jumper with the idea of helping the floor open up more around him.
"The preparation started with just getting spot shots during the summer, working on different forms, speeds, arches and just getting a better feel for my shot," Queta said. "I feel like we're going to see a little bit more of my shot just off of the positioning we're going to have and just the comfortability I have in it, too.
Queta also made it clear he doesn’t see this as a replacement for the work that already defines him.
"We cannot stop expecting the same stuff I've been doing all over, which is rebounding, setting great screens and finishing around the paint," he added. "That's my bread and butter.
"If I can add the 3-point shot, let's do it, but I'm not living and dying by it."
That’s the key here. Queta isn’t talking about becoming a stretch big overnight. He’s talking about adding a layer to a game that already plays.
And the early track record is thin. Across five NBA seasons, Queta has launched only 11 3-pointers, and he’s made one. That lone make came in a game the Celtics were already controlling by 38 points.
In college, he was a little more accurate from deep, but the volume was still tiny. At Utah State, Queta went 3-for-8 from 3 across three seasons.
Still, there are reasons to think the idea isn’t pure wishful thinking.
One is his touch at the foul line. Queta shot 70.3 percent from the stripe last season and 70.7 percent for his career, which is a solid number for a 7-foot center. Another is that his shooting form looks workable enough to imagine more than just emergency minutes from behind the arc.
A look at Queta’s shooting touch today. https://t.co/G7Y1TWOGH5
- Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 6, 2026
That clip showed Queta going 3-for-11 from 3, which obviously doesn’t scream instant breakthrough. But for a player who has barely taken any threes in the NBA, the bigger story right now is the process, not the percentage.
If the shot does become real, it could matter for Boston’s frontcourt rotation. The Celtics currently have three centers on the roster: Queta, Mitchell Robinson and Luka Garza. Queta and Robinson bring a lot of the same stuff to the table as screen-setters, lob threats, rebounders and rim protectors, while Garza is the one who already brings more floor-spacing ability.
Queta doesn’t need to become Karl-Anthony Towns for this to matter. Even a modest willingness to step out and make open looks could give Joe Mazzulla another lineup option when the Celtics want more space without giving up size.
There’s also the flip side: if Queta gets so wrapped up in chasing the 3-pointer that he drifts away from the things that made him useful last season, that would be a problem. But nothing he said suggests that’s where his head is.
Boston is asking him to add something, not reinvent himself.
And if defenses eventually have to honor him out there, that changes the math. It would mean more room for Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Payton Pritchard and the rest of the offense to work without shrinking the front line.
For now, that’s the real test. Queta has the idea, the work and at least some foundation to build on. The question is whether that offseason project turns into something defenses actually have to care about.
In Other News...
First Look At A Very Different Celtics Team Tonight
The Celtics open preseason play tonight against the Cavaliers, and the first look comes with an unusual setup on the bench. Assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will handle the game in halves while Joe Mazzulla takes a back seat, a reminder that this stage is less about the final score and more about sorting through a roster that looks meaningfully different from last springs version.
Bostons group has undergone some real turnover, with Jaylen Brown out of the picture and Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley now part of the mix. Cleveland is also using October to sift through tweaks of its own after a quiet offseason, and both sides are treating this as an early evaluation night, even if the Celtics have not yet fully revealed who will actually be available to suit up. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mazzulla Is Letting Celtics Assistants Face A Real Test
The Celtics first preseason game against the Cavaliers will come with a different look on the sideline, as Joe Mazzulla is stepping back and handing the coaching duties to two assistants. Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will share the workload in Cleveland, giving Boston a chance to see how the staff functions when the head coach is not directing things in the usual way.
Mazzulla said the move is meant to give the assistants a real developmental opportunity, which matters for a bench that has already been asked to grow alongside a championship-caliber roster. It also adds a little extra meaning to the preseason opener, since both Dobbins and MacLeay have been on the radar for bigger roles and now get a live-game setting to show how they handle them. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Sent A Clear Message About Their New Frontcourt Plan
The Celtics have made their intentions in the middle unmistakable, signing Mitchell Robinson to a three-year contract and extending Neemias Queta on a four-year deal as they reshape the center spot for the long term. It is the kind of frontcourt business that signals more than roster depth, because Boston is clearly investing in size and stability after a stretch of leaning on different looks at the five.
What stands out most is the direction of the plan. Boston is shifting away from the stretch-big model and putting more emphasis on offensive rebounding and physical play around the basket, a change that should alter how the team wants to win possessions inside. With Robinson and Queta now both in place, the Celtics have set up a center rotation that looks built for more bruising minutes and a different tone in the paint. [Read more 🡒]