On Tuesday, the Celtics (9-8) officially announced starting center Neemias Queta would be out for Wednesday evening’s game against the first-place Pistons (15-2).

This news comes just two days after the 7-foot big man exited his team’s 138-129 win over the Magic (10-8) after spraining his ankle in the first half.

After a collision on a fast break during the first quarter, Queta came up limping badly. After laboring his way off the court, he was escorted back to the locker room for further testing.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla told the media both postgame and at practice Tuesday that he did not know what was going on with Queta, and had not spoken to him ahead of either media availability. Whether that was true or not, we know the 26-year-old will at least be out for one game as he works his way back for one of the most common nagging injuries in the NBA.

Queta’s emergence this season has been steady, as he was primed for a starting role after the departures of big men Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet this offseason. With all that height gone, and with excellent post defender Jayson Tatum out for the foreseeable future as he continues rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles, the need for the pride of Portugal to step up in his fifth season in the NBA was more than evident.

Through 17 games, he has delivered.

Queta is experiencing career highs in every meaningful statistical category - 9.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game across 23.6 minutes per game. As the team’s primary big man, he leads Boston in rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage at 62.8%.

With Queta gone for Thanksgiving Eve, Boston is going to have their hands full with the likes of Luka Garza and Chris Boucher filling in as replacements. While Garza shows great hustle at times, his lack of athleticism gets exposed on an almost nightly basis during limited minutes. An uptick in playing time means more opportunities for Detroit to feast in the paint. And after Boucher flashed throughout the preseason, he has not been able to crack his way into the rotation in a meaningful way in 2025-26.

Look for Detroit’s standout fourth-year center Jalen Duren to have an early Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday, as the big man is averaging a double-double on the year through his team’s first 17 games - 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Boston will need swing man Jordan Walsh to do all he can with help in the post as Garza and Boucher both prepare for their biggest spotlights so far in a Celtics uniform.

Conventional wisdom says Boston’s greatest weakness on the roster right now is their lack of depth in the post. Let’s see if these two can challenge that notion when given the opportunity.

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.