Kristaps Porzingis, one of three former centers on last season's Boston Celtics' roster, acknowledged earlier this week that he is unsure as to who the big man in the middle will be this season.
Porzingis is taking his talents to Atlanta, and is leaving the Celtics' luxury-tax issues behind. He was traded to the Hawks in a three-team trade back in July.
Porzingis could not identify who is going to start at center for the Celtics when they break training camp this fall. With Al Horford looking to leave Boston as an unrestricted free agent and Luke Kornet already off for San Antonio, it is anyone's guess as to who will play center for the Celtics this season.
Porzingis recently faced one of the centers remaining on the roster — Neemias Queta — during a Portugal-Latvia EuroBasket tournament game.
Porzingis scored 21 points and led Latvia to a 78-62 win. He spoke to reporters after the game and said via Basketnews he was uncertain if Queta will draw the long straw to start at center once the regular season begins.
"Starter? Good question," Porzingis said. "Who else is there? I don't know. I haven't thought about their roster, honestly. But what I will say is Neemi has been getting better each year. Coach [Joe] Mazzulla has been pretty tough on him. I believe he is getting to a point were he deserves some real minutes, some real rotation minutes."
Queta has the most experience of any center currently on the Celtics' roster. He played last season in place of Porzingis and Horford when they were out with injuries. He played in 62 games, starting six, averaging 14 minutes. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds.
Queta is joined by free agents Luka Garza and Chris Boucher. The Celtics also drafted Amari Williams this spring.
"He's been putting in the work," Porzingis said. "You can see how he's playing now in the tournament. I'm happy for Nimi. He's a great, great dude. Really cool person. He puts in the time, and he puts in the work. I'll be happy to see him getting a lot more minutes this year."
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