Remember when you were a kid and got a new LEGO set? Those first few builds were never quite perfect. Maybe you put the wrong piece here, tried to force something there, and eventually realized the instruction manual might actually be useful after all.
The first 11 games of the Celtics' season?
Yeah…
They're giving me those same vibes.
We've had some masterpiece constructions - look at those blowout wins against the Knicks and Wizards. Then there were those wobbly moments against the Pistons and Nets, where it felt more like a game of Jenga than a sturdy LEGO set.
The Warriors and Pacers losses? Those were 100% "accidentally stepped on a LEGO brick" moments.
And that Hawks game? Well, that was ‘somebody just kicked over my sandcastle’ bad.
But here's the thing - expecting championship-level execution right out of the gate is like expecting to nail that 3,000-piece Death Star without the instruction manual —especially when one of your key pieces (hey there, Kristaps Porzingis) is still in the box.
The silver lining? After 11 games, we're seeing how (almost) all these pieces fit together. So, let's break down three questions rattling around in my brain like that one piece you can hear when you shake the box but never seem able to find...
#1 Has Neemias Queta overtaken Luke Kornet?
Coming into the season, this wasn't even a debate. Kornet was the clear third-string big behind Al Horford and Porzingis and with good reason. His screening was crisp, his short-roll game added a different dimension to Boston's offense, and his size deterred drivers at the rim. Basic, effective and reliable.
Then, something shifted.
While Kornet remained functionally sound, Queta started turning heads. The Two-Way big brought an infectious energy off the bench, and suddenly, what seemed like a locked rotation spot became a legitimate position battle.
The numbers tell an interesting story.
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