On the second night of a back-to-back, Boston opts to rest two starters.
On Sunday, the Celtics (10-9) announced the following players would be out for Sunday against the Cavaliers (12-8):
- Derrick White, right calf contusion
- Neemias Queta, left ankle sprain injury management
- Jayson Tatum, right Achilles repair
Two of these names do not come as a surprise.
Tatum’s Achilles rehab has been well documented at this point. We’ve all heard him say that he’d like to return this season if he’s medically cleared to do so. Whether or not he should return is another topic for another day. In any case, we’re far away from those decisions needing to be made.
Queta’s ankle sprain has also been well documented of late, as the center suffered his injury one week ago in a win at home against the Magic. His ankle sprain knocked him out of just one game - Boston’s Thanksgiving Eve win over the Pistons at TD Garden. He returned to the lineup on Saturday night in Minnesota, where he grabbed a staggering 18 rebounds on his own in his team’s 119-115 loss.
Rebounding has been a massive issue for Boston this season, as Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet are all playing elsewhere this season, along with Tatum missing in action as well. But if Queta is going to grab nearly 20 rebounds of his own on a nightly basis, that’ll solve a lot of problems (for those who couldn’t tell, that was a joke).
On the second night of a back-to-back, Queta sitting out for maintenance on his ankle is exactly what should be happening. With how important he is to the frontcourt for Boston moving forward, the Celtics need him as healthy as possible moving forward.
Mar 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) high fives Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden. (Paul Rutherford/Imagn Images)White’s absence on Sunday is the most noteworthy of the trio.
It’s completely plausible that this is a creative way to get White a maintenance day, given that tonight’s the second night of a back-to-back.
And given his shooting woes this season, it might be good for the 31-year-old to get a reset day.
On Saturday night in Minnesota alone, White was just 6 of 16 from the floor and 2 of 8 from three.
When you’re tabbed to be the No. 2 scorer on a team that still has top five seed aspirations, these types of numbers can’t be the norm.
Unfortunately for Celtics fans, that stat line for White has not been uncommon in 2025-26.
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.