The Boston Celtics were expecting to have a shot at repeating as NBA champions this past season. That ended up not happening, as they were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Knicks.
Not only did they lose to the Knicks, but they also lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles. That means he will be out for most, if not all, of next season.
With that, the Celtics need to adjust their goals for next season. One Celtics insider believes they should have one main goal for next year.
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Jay King of The Athletic believes that the Celtics should spend next year trying to develop some centers so that they are better positioned once Tatum comes back.
"Neemias Queta still has plenty to prove, but already stands as a success story," King writes. "After the Celtics landed him on a two-way contract in 2023, he earned a standard roster spot before working his way into pretty consistent minutes last season."
The Celtics understand that there is a weakness with what they have at that spot, since none of the current centers on the roster have much experience starting.
"Queta, potentially the starter next season, won’t have the same margin for error. Queta, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman make up a center rotation so iffy that even Stevens acknowledged it looks like a weakness on paper."
Boston is going to be much better positioned to compete for a title in 2026-27 if they can develop a decent starting center once Tatum is able to return at full strength.
The Boston Celtics need a competent starting center for next season
Having Queta or Garza able to develop as a true starting center is going to be the key to their contention in the future. Having that hole on the roster shored up is necessary for them to compete.
The Celtics might lean more on Garza to develop into the starting center since he has the ability to hit threes. Boston launches more 3's than any other team in the league, so they need all of their guys on the court to be able to do that.
If Queta wants to start, he needs to start developing a 3-point shot.
