Options Without Queta

The Celtics have a hole to plug, at least for now

On Sunday, Neemias Queta suffered a left ankle sprain during the opening quarter of the Boston Celtics’ win over the Orlando Magic. He didn’t return to the court.

Queta has been ruled out for today’s game against the Detroit Pistons. If we’re being realistic, he could be out until early or even mid-December. Even the mildest sprains usually take a couple of weeks to heal.

So, Joe Mazzulla has some tinkering to do. Against Orlando, he opted to go small for most of the game, with Chris Boucher getting some run at the five for stretches where the Celtics went slightly bigger. Interestingly, Luka Garza stayed glued to the bench.

Against a Magic team on the second night of a back-to-back and missing Paolo Banchero (among others), going small and pushing the pace made sense. That won’t always be the case, though.

The Pistons have considerable size, and last time out, they destroyed the Celtics on the glass, securing 55 rebounds (19 offensive) to Boston’s 38. Mazzulla will need some size in the middle of the floor. Or at least, some physicality.

Garza makes the most sense to step into a starting role. He’s a 7-footer who can screen, box out, rebound and stretch the floor. Sure, he has his defensive limitations, but if he can help control the boards, the Celtics will be in a better position than their Oct. 26 matchup.

Of course, if Garza does find himself being injected into the starting lineup, there will be a void at the backup five spot. Here are Mazzulla’s three logical options to help plug the gap left by Queta’s injury.

Amari Williams

The Celtics opted to call up rookie big man Amari Williams from the Maine Celtics yesterday afternoon.

If you’re wondering what Williams will bring to the rotation, I did a deep-dive scouting report on his passing offense shortly after the Celtics drafted him in the summer. You can read that here:

Amari Williams Film Study Part 1: Passing

Williams has played in seven games for the Maine Celtics so far this season, averaging 12.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per night. He’s shooting 64.2% from the field and blocking 1.9 shots per contest.