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'Who Else Is There?' Kristaps Porzingis Questions Celtics' Lineup Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 10:02 AM ET

The Boston Celtics will look very different next season. The financial repercussions of the new CBA hit them hard, up to the point where they had to part ways with three pillars of their championship roster.

Al Horford is most likely not coming back, and Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are already gone. That will force coach Joe Mazzulla to get creative with his starting five, especially with Jayson Tatum out with an injury.

That has Portugal big man Neemias Queta as the likeliest candidate to be the starting big man. When asked about that, Porzingis had a somewhat interesting choice of words.

Kristaps Porzingis Questions The Celtics' Depth

“Starter? Good question. Who else is there? Honestly, I haven’t really thought about their roster. But what I can say is that Neemy has been getting better every year," Porzingis said to Bobby Manning.

Porzingis was asked about Neemias Queta starting for the Celtics today after Latvia/Portugal: “Starter? Good question. Who else is there? Honestly, I haven’t really thought about their roster. But what I can say is that Neemy has been getting better every year.…” (1/2)
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) September 2, 2025

Porzingis will play for the new-look Atlanta Hawks after two seasons and winning one championship with the Celtics, leaving behind averages of 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

Porzingis Thinks Queta is Ready

Even so, the Latvian big man has plenty of faith in Queta as a potential starter, especially after watching all the hard work he's put in throughout the course of the years:

“Coach Mazzulla has been pretty tough on him, and I believe he’s getting to a point where he deserves some real minutes, real rotation minutes. He’s been putting in the work, and you can see it in how he’s playing now in this tournament,” Porzingis said of his former teammate.

Queta averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in roughly 13.9 minutes a night last season, the most he's averaged in a full season in his four-year NBA career. But given their current depth chart, Coach Mazzula may not have another option right now.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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