Neemias Queta is ready to battle for more playing time in the Celtics rotation | Celtics Insiders

Neemias Queta is ready to battle for more playing time in the Celtics rotation | Celtics Insiders

All right, day three of Celtics training camp is in the books. The Celtics coming off of a day yesterday where it was a lockout day here at the Hourback Center. That means no players are allowed, no coaches are allowed. Everyone stay home, stay with your family. Abby, it wasn’t the same way today. They were back inside the Hourback Center and running. It sounds like these guys are practicing pretty hard, huh? Sam Cassell said that he’s been in the league for 30 some odd years and this is the hardest training camp he has ever been a part of. So, I think that tells you everything you need to know. According to Joe, that I asked that specifically and he said there’s some recency bias there. I’m sure there is a little bit, but I do think that there’s no question the intensity and the pace of this training camp has been on another level. Yeah, we’re going to touch on that a little bit more later on in the show. But right now, we got a chance to talk with Namas Kada. Uh, and before we dive into that conversation, Abby, what are your expectations for the big sevenfooter coming into this season where he’s got a real opportunity to possibly start for this team? Expectations are high. Astronomical. I mean, I think there’s so much Just as high as he is, right? Exactly. Especially relative to you. You’ll see. Uh, both of us. But Nimi has an opportunity here and that’s something that he is very aware of. There’s he’s the only sevenfooter on this roster. The Celtics need size and Nimi can provide that for them. And this being his third year in the system, he spoke about just how much more familiar and comfortable he is with everything and he’s feeling healthy. We saw what he can do on the floor as a major piece in Euro basket and so I think the sky’s is the limit for Nimi this season. Well, he’s also dripping a little bit of confidence and you might hear that a little bit. He stopped by right at this desk just a few moments ago. Take a listen to our conversation with Namish Kada. All right, Nimish Kada stopped over. He was just practicing some three-pointers back here. I didn’t think you were doing that this year. That’s what you told us on media day. Yeah, man. Like it’s it’s more about like keeping keeping it sharp. You never know when you might need to use it. So, um and and it’s cool to compete against guys on net, too. So, it’s maybe some like end of quarter shots that you get up and the buzzer’s about to sound. Yeah. I don’t want to script it um because it’s too many too many too many possibilities on the game and whenever the moment comes I shoot it with confidence cuz I I got the muscle memory soward that’s what I’m looking forward to. All right, let’s dive right into it. Uh as we talked about on media day, we’re going to talk about it right now, but this is a front court competition. Like it’s it’s open. Joe Missoula has been open to the media about that. Like all of you guys have a chance to steal major minutes. Take us inside. Like what’s it been like competing with these guys so far? who has looked really good. How have you felt so far? Just take us behind closed doors of what that’s been like. Yeah, it’s been a good a good competition, I’d say. Um, every every one of us uh interior players I feel like is unique in their own way. Like you got you got guys that can space the floor and like and be be defending on the perimeter like X. Um Chris is a perimeter guy that can that can hit threes and still be lanky, go get offensive rebounds, switch too. Um I’m protecting the rim. um getting good screens, making making my finishes under the gun, be a be a force in the paint. Um Luca Luca is a little bit of everything, too. Um a workhorse. He’s going to he’s going to outwork a lot of people. So, um I think it’s all about committee at the end of the day. We got to go out there and just play play as hard as we can for the amount of minutes that we’re in and um let everything figure itself out. Like I said, um Joe said during the year, it’s going to be a different lineups during the whole year and um different closing lineups as well. So, you just got to be prepared and it’s going to be it’s going to be a lot of a lot of ups and downs and be ready for when your moment comes cuz um like I said, we’re going to be throwing a lot at teams and we got we all just got to be prepared. It’s funny that you say everyone does something different cuz I feel like that’s actually what happened the last couple years, right? Like Luke had something different than Al and Chris said something different than you. Like everyone kind of complimented each other. Do you feel like that might kind of be what this group comes together as as well? Yeah, that’s the goal. That’s the goal. like the last couple years we had such a good luxury of having all those guys at at the at the big position and um like we couldn’t really me and X being here for that long we couldn’t really crack the rotation because those guys were so good but um like I said we were here to learn with them and be learning how to how to figure out to play in the court and be be effective. So when this moment came like we we already we already got the steps like the founding steps the bricks are laid on and um we just got to go at it with the great mindset and attack it every night because you never know what what the game might need for you coming into this year like physically. Do you feel any different? Uh because you know the the biggest thing for Luke Cornet when he was here and he kind of took that next step is he said he felt different physically like his body changed a little bit. Have you felt that at all since you got here a few years ago that your body and strength has changed a little bit? Yeah, with time I’ve been working so much on the on the weight room with the with the guys staff here. Um, we’ve been we’ve been able to um attack some of my some of my weaknesses and just get get stronger in those. And I feel like in general my body’s my body’s getting stronger and um I’m able to I’m able to control my body a lot better. Um, I’m able to I’m able to stay in front of guys, able to able to maintain positioning without losing losing control of my arms. So, um, things like that go a long way and I feel like it’ll show this year. Do you care at all about starting versus coming off the bench? Does it does it even matter to you? Cuz Payton, you know, just won six man of the year last year. He came in immediate. He’s like, I don’t care. He’s like, you know, would it be great to start? Sure. But it doesn’t really matter in the end. Like I said, um I’m I’m not really thinking about that right now. Like I said, it’s going to be a long year. I might start a couple games. X might start a couple games. Chris might start, Luca, Mari. Like, we got a bunch of options that and at the end of the day, what matters is winning. Um nobody really nobody in Boston, nobody really nobody really remembers individual players. They remember teams. So, um whenever whenever we go out there and we compete, we try to win. That’s the main thing. Keep on winning, we’re good. They they remember teams, not individuals. All right, last one for you. What’s been the best part of camp so far? Like the funnest moment or most memorable moments for you so far? Um, just the individual challenges, I’d say. Um, a lot of a lot of guys been going one-on-one in general just in front of everybody. Um, energy gets riled up in the practice facility, right? When when those moments happen and um it’s fun to see guys competing, going at each other’s necks and u making each other better at the end of the day. That’s what we’re here for. And um when the year comes, I feel like we had a good a greater chance when we do things this way. Soon enough, you’ll actually be able to compete against another team. So that’ll be nice, right? Just a few days away from the first preseason game. So Nimi, appreciate the time, man. Good luck this season, man. All right. Thank you. All right. You heard it right there from Nimish Kate. He actually thinks that this front court, all of the guys complement each other and do a little bit something different. As you just heard, I was standing there. I’m like, hold on, that sounds like the front court from the last couple of years. What’s your reaction to that? I think that’s true. So, I do think it’s also it helps breed competition, which is something that everyone we’ve spoken to in this camp has talked about. And so, yes, while each guy has a different strength, it’s a matter of finding out how those strengths can fit into the larger system that the Celtics are trying to play and how it fits around the core players of this team, right? Because, as we know, these guys that are coming in and competing for these starting jobs and these big minutes in the front court, they’re not Jaylen Brown. They’re not Derek White. And they know that. and they know they’re not Sam Hower, not Peyton Pritchard. Those are the core guys of this team and until Jason Tatum comes back, then he’s a part of that obviously, but these guys have to figure out how they are going to accentuate the best players on the team because that’s how you win games in the NBA. So, I I did think that was very interesting to hear that from him and we’re just going to have to see how it shakes out during the preseason of like how do those guys skills complement the core the best. I’m very excited to see that work out on the court. It’s it’s coming out soon and see those guys and this conditioning that the level of conditioning that they will have to reach here in training camp to be able to play with those guys and continue to create open opportunities for everyone else. Well, speaking of conditioning, you want to talk about the hardest drill that the Celtics have done all preseason so far in training camp? Spikeball apparently. Have you ever played spikeball? I have played, you know, me and my friends, we call it friend ender because everyone who loses is always mad at their teammate that they’re playing. In my head, I’m like, is Joe trying to make these guys mad at each other and like get a little bit of, you know, angst inside training camp a little bit? I’m just not sure it is the same on the floor. Usually, you play it on the beach, right? You’re supposed to be able and it’s a lot harder to get up and down in the sand. Anyway, Joe Missoula is using spike ball as a an opportunity to kind of build this team together. He spoke about that today to the media. take a listen to what he had to say about spike ball right here being played at the hourback set. Uh I mean I think it’s the closest thing to a a situ a twoon- two situation that you have to communicate. Uh it’s it’s a react again it’s a read. You have to read the angle of where it’s being put at. You have to read the angle of your teammate. You have to be able to get through with it’s a twoon- two situation. So that’s a lot of what the game is. You’re in twoon two threeon-ree situations. Very rarely are you in a five-on-ive situation maybe if you’re switching everything at the end of the game. But the game is a constant uh you know ecosystem of small twoon twos, threeon threes and being able to create those an advantage and a disadvantage. So those two games create that. They test your reaction time. They test your ability to communicate. They test your ability to create angles. And so I think those things are it’s another way to simulate what you’re going through on every possession of the game. All right, Abby, we saw spikeball. A little bit of footage was going on on the Celtics YouTube page. We saw it on the Snapchat page. Make sure you go and follow those channels. What’s your reaction to these guys actually playing and Joe talking about it today? I didn’t think he was going to address it at all, but he did today. No, I did follow up with Joe and asked, “What is a Rondo?” He told me that. I have to look up. We’re all going to have to go look that up. I haven’t had a chance to Google it yet. But I do take away all of the positives of that game and honestly playing any game and to me that was just illuminating and the way that Joe goes through life. Like, don’t you think Joe goes into every game, any sort of competition, anything, and is like, “How can I use this to get a better opportunity, number one, to learn how to beat other people at this game?” But also, how can I use this in my coaching? And and what skills are these games teaching us? And I think that that’s a really interesting way to go through life. The the most interesting thing that I took from him is that someone asked him about like, “Why spikeball?” And I thought he was just going to be like, “Oh, I thought it was a fun way that we could open everyday camp.” No, there was actually a reason behind it. He’s there’s a reason behind everything he does. He’s like, “This is the way that we can compete and learn how to have twoon twos against other teams, how to adjust to angles.” And in my head, I’m like, “Oh my god.” Yeah, you do have to adjust to angles while you’re playing, right? So, it was very interesting that he actually there was like a purpose behind it. It wasn’t just something for these guys to have fun at the start of every day of camp. There is a purpose behind it. And that purpose is to help build the team compete in twoon- two situations against each other and also to learn reacting to angles. So I just thought that was very interesting that but hopefully in a playful positive way not the way you’re playing with your friends in the what you call it the friendship ender friend ender. I don’t think that hopefully this is a friend builder here at the hour back team. Derek White was one of the other guys who spoke today. Real quick before we wrap I wasn’t over there. What did you take out of what he had to say today? Defense. Defense. defense also, which we know is Derek White’s calling card, one of them calling cards, but also consistency. And I think that that’s something that you look at Derrick White and you know how good he is. And I think it’s finally getting out around the league how good he is and what he does for a team, but he is even of the mindset that he knows there are things that he can get better at. And one of his main focuses this season is that consistency and to be that guy to be able to bring it night in and night out for this team. And he also said that this has been a very difficult, we opened with this with Sam Cassell, but he said this has been a difficult and challenging training camp so far. My estimation is that Joe is really trying to get these guys in shape so that they can outplay and outlast every opponent throughout the entire season. So it’ll be interesting to see that hit the court on what October 8th when we got the Memphis Grizzlies game. You’ll be on the sidelines for that. NBC Sports Boston, we will be in Memphis. I do think and and that’s why I mentioned it with the spike ball. There is a purpose for everything that Joe does. So, the fact that he is making this training camp as grueling as possible, we will see that play out on the floor. That is something that this team, these guys are going to need throughout this season as they want to play faster, make decisions faster, but also put a lot of pressure on defenses. That’s it. All right. The name of the game. All right, that’s a wrap on day three of training camp. We’ll be back with you on Monday for another show. Until then, enjoy the weekend, folks. We’ll see you on Monday. And then again, repeat NBC Sports Boston October 8th. It’s the Celtics visiting the Grizzlies for the first preseason game of the year. Enjoy the weekend, folks. I can’t wait.

With less than a week til the preseason begins, we’re pushing things into higher gear at Celtics Training Camp 😤

Now three days into full camp, Sam Cassell called it, “The hardest training camp he’s ever been a part of.” Big words from the the ultimate NBA vet on how hard the team is working to get ready for Opening Night.

Neemias Queta joined Abby Chin of @nbcsboston and Marc D’Amico today to discuss his opportunity for more playing time and coming into this season stronger than ever. Following the departures of Al Horford and Luke Kornet, Neemi highlighted the important roles that can be filled by him, Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza in the front court.

Stay tuned for more camp coverage throughout October.

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