NBA
Derrick White believes in this young Celtics player for the 2025-26 season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on September 05, 2025
Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles was a nail in the coffin for Boston’s 2024 championship roster. This offseason, the team has lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford.
With those departures, the Celtics’ frontcourt depth took a massive hit. Boston will search for their starting center ahead of the 2025-26 season. Will it be Chris Boucher, Neemias Queta, or Luka Garza? On a recent episode of his podcast, Boston’s Derrick White showed praise for Neemias Queta. He said coach Joe Mazzulla has been preparing Queta for something like this to happen.
Who will start at center for the Celtics in 2025-26?
Without Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford, the Celtics had to retool their frontcourt this offseason. Porzingis was traded to the Hawks. Luke Kornet signed in free agency with San Antonio, and Horford remains unsigned this offseason. To replace those players, the Celtics brought in Chris Boucher, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza. Boucher has the most starts of that trio at 23 games.
However, one Celtics player recently shared his belief in Boston’s young center. On his White Noise podcast, Derrick White shared that Neemias Queta could have a big role for Boston in 2025-26. Queta was a second-round draft pick by the Kings in 2021 out of Utah State. After two seasons with the Kings, Queta signed a two-way deal with Boston.
🚨Neemias Queta poderá ser o poste titular dos Celtics na próxima temporada!
Payton Pritchard e Derrick White deverão compor o backcourt titular dos Celtics.
Jaylen Brown ocupará uma das posições de extremo, enquanto Anfernee Simons começará no banco.
(via @GrantAfseth) pic.twitter.com/gJz0v3PS05
— NBA Portugal (@nbaportugalcom) August 14, 2025
Over the last two seasons, the 26-year-old has played in 90 games and has made six starts. Queta had been buried in the depth chart behind experienced players. That is not the case heading into next season. On his podcast, Derrick White explained how the Celtics’ head coach, Joe Mazzulla, has been preparing Queta for an opportunity like this. Is Neemias Queta in line to be Boston’s starting center in 2025-26?
The team also has Chris Boucher and Luka Garza as potential options. Boucher parted ways with the Raptors this offseason and signed a one-year deal with Boston. He’s played in 407 games over eight seasons and has made 23 starts. Chris Boucher offers floor spacing for the Celtics if he were the starter. On the flip side, Neemias Queta is a traditional center who doesn’t take any three-point shots. Who will Joe Mazzulla start in the upcoming season?
