It has not been the best of starts to the 2026-27 NBA regular season for Boston Celtics big men, Neemias Queta among them. But in the Celtics' 109-102 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on this past Wednesday (Nov. 4) night, the Portuguese center shook off a lot of that early-season rust with 9 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in just under 30 minutes of floor time.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla took note of Queta's play in his second start of the season, and how he took a step forward on both ends of the court. "I think, especially once Payton (Pritchard) went out, (it) was a little bit unique with some of our lineup composition and things that we wanted to try and run, and it was a good time to trust guys," he explained.

"And so ... offensively, I think Neemi (Queta) having some playmaking (helped) Baylor (Scheierman) and Derrick’s (White) crashing at the end of the game," he added.

"And then defensively, Neemi made some big time plays there," said Mazzulla. "And that’s an area of growth for him. He’s got to be able to deliver for us night in and night out."

"He’s gotten significantly better at that after the Detroit game. (He) had some high-level moments in Orlando, played well against Houston, and you kind of saw it again tonight in critical moments."