Joe Mazzulla hates preseason games.

We understand his angst. While it’s good to get an early glimpse of the Celtics, it’s sometimes hard to pluck too much from these exhibitions. Mazzulla prefers that his team gear up in the sanctity of the curtain-filled Auerbach Center.

Alas, the preseason does help bide time until the real games tip off, and we do learn a bit about the players on a new-look roster.

The Celtics close out their preseason slate Wednesday night at TD Garden with a visit from the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston), and there are no shortage of players who can maximize the final 48 minutes of preseason play. 

Here are four in particular:


Neemias Queta

The fact that Queta has played just 25 total minutes in two appearances might suggest that the team is both pacing him after a busy summer at EuroBasket, and that Boston’s decision-makers prefer to use these game reps to get longer looks at the team’s new bigs.

But Queta hasn’t looked nearly as crisp against a bunch of second-stringers as he did against elite-caliber big men in FIBA play. His defensive rebound rate has been alarmingly low and his turnover rate has been too high. Queta needs to settle in and let his talents take over. The Celtics dominated his preseason minutes last year (+47.3 net rating in 74 minutes of floor time) and his rebounding was excellent. 

Queta seemingly was steamrolling toward the starting center role given the overhaul to Boston’s frontcourt. And maybe he still is. But the departures at that position have only thrown a harsher spotlight on the preseason frontcourt play, and Queta can help erase any consternation about Boston’s bigs with a solid showing before the real games arrive.

Newcomers Chris Boucher and Luka Garza have been excellent in their preseason minutes.

Jordan Walsh

Walsh has been limited to eight minutes of preseason floor time after suffering an adductor injury in the opener in Memphis. He was back on the practice floor Tuesday — getting some extended reps defending Jaylen Brown — and should be back on the court against the Raptors. 

Walsh produced a strong training camp and preseason last year, and looked ready to kick down the door to more consistent playing time despite Boston’s talent-filled roster. Walsh appeared in 12 of Boston’s first 14 games and logged solid minutes through the end of calendar year 2024 before time became more scarce later in the season.

It’s a big Year 3 for Walsh, who’s still only 21. The Celtics have plenty of opportunity for a 3-and-D wing, particularly while Jayson Tatum is rehabbing, and even superfluous fourth preseason games are an opportunity for Walsh to distinguish himself among the other young wings on the team.

Baylor Scheierman

Speaking of those other wings, it has not been the most efficient preseason for Scheierman. After maximizing some late regular-season opportunities during his rookie campaign, the 2024 first-round pick hasn’t been particularly efficient in the preseason. 

Scheierman has made just 6 of 27 shots (22.2 percent) including just 4 of 17 3-pointers (23.5 percent). He’s shown off his obvious passing skills with 10 assists, but that’s been balanced out by 10 turnovers. He does lead the Celtics with five preseason steals (tied with preseason superstar Josh Minott). 

Only the veteran trio of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard have a higher usage rate this preseason, and Scheierman simply needs to maximize those touches. A preseason shooting slump isn’t the end of the world, but Scheierman needs to impact positive basketball when he’s on the court regardless of whether his shots are falling.

Hugo Gonzalez

The hype trains have slowed a bit since the rookie’s loud debut in Memphis. Gonzalez is still bringing energy and grit, but he’s also learning how hard it is to operate with the sort of consistency that will keep you on the court.

Like just about everyone on Boston’s roster, Gonzalez has been plucked for rebounding miscues at some point this preseason, and finding a consistency will go a long way towards earning Mazzulla’s trust.

That’s no easy chore out of the gates for a rookie. But Gonzalez doesn’t always look like a teenager, particularly with his defensive abilities.

It will be intriguing to see if Mazzulla is willing to let him learn on the job this season. We’d like to see Gonzalez feast as a cutter and crasher, while letting his obvious defensive talents be his key to staying on the court.