Since being eliminated in the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics have endured a significant talent drain.
Brad Stevens came into the summer knowing he needed to decrease the current payroll. Boston was on track to pay out close to $500 million in salaries and luxury-tax penalties.
Unfortunately for Celtics fans, that meant that multiple key members of the roster were set to leave the franchise. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and likely Al Horford have all found new homes this summer. The worrying part is that three of those names were core frontcourt contributors.
In their place, Boston will now rely on Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman. Not only does the Celtics frontcourt lack experience, it's also short on size and perimeter scoring. To make matters worse, it has now been revealed that Queta, who is expected to be Boston's starting center, underwent offseason surgery.
“It’s been good,” Queta told Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. “We’ve been dealing with this stuff (since) a couple years ago. We just decided it was a great time for us to do it. We’re trying to get back to 100%. We feel pretty confident in the process and we’re just grateful that we were taken care of, and I want to make sure I’m healthy and get back to 100% and I feel like I’m on the right path to do that.”
Queta is expected to be 100 percent healthy by the time the Celtics open training camp. However, the concern should be that Queta, who has rarely dealt with a sizable role, needed surgery in the first place. 7-footers often deal with knee and back issues. The fact that he's suffered an injury without a significant workload means there should be caution about relying on him to be the starting big man moving forward.
At 26 years old, Queta is nearing his prime years. He's not a developmental talent anymore. Yet, he spent last season as Boston's fourth-string center, and will now jump into the starting lineup. Celtics fans should have a high level of concern over his viability in that role, both in terms of talent and whether his body can deal with the additional impact on his knees.
Brad Stevens and the Celtics franchise do a great job of keeping things under wraps. The fact that Queta's surgery was kept secret for so long is impressive. But now that the news is out there, all eyes will be on how he handles the rigors of his new role, and whether his body will allow him to become a suitable candidate for the long-term starter's role in the middle of the court.
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