Heading into next season, the Boston Celtics will have a decision to make regarding who will be the starting center. Boston's two options are this past season's starter, Neemias Queta, or the recent free agent signing, Mitchell Robinson.
Both options have merits as to why they should get the starting nod. For Queta, he's been in Boston's system for three years now, and his play has improved each year. Robinson, on the other hand, may provide a bigger impact when on the court (as we saw during the NBA playoffs this season).
Ultimately, I would go with Queta as the starter, with two main reasons as to why.
Neemias Queta has more familiarity in the Celtics' system
One of the reasons Boston should give Queta the starting nod is due to his familiarity with Boston's system. We've seen how the Utah State alum has continued to improve each season under this system, and his experience in it should give him an edge over Robinson. Given his improvement these past three years, we could see another jump from Queta next season.
This isn't to say that Robinson won't be able to pick up the system (it isn't that different from his role with the New York Knicks); it's more about how we've seen Queta perform well in it. Robinson has shown how valuable he can be defensively and in rebounding the ball, but after spending his entire career with the Knicks, playing in Boston's system may take some time to adjust.
My other reason why Boston should begin the season with Queta starting is Robinson's durability concerns. Through the eight seasons he has played in the NBA, Robinson has appeared in 397 regular-season games, out of a possible 656. This means Robinson has only been available for around 60% of his games.
During his career, Robinson has only played more than 60 games in half of his seasons. When on the court, Robinson is extremely valuable to his team, but his health has prevented him from playing consistently. The Celtics should keep him as the backup center to help preserve his body for later in the season when the games will matter more.
A positive for Robinson, though, is that Boston does have experience doing things of this nature with players. We all saw the precautions they took with both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis (not playing them on back-to-backs). I wouldn't be surprised if Boston were to do the same with Robinson. Due to this, Queta starting would be smart, as Boston would have a consistent starter and not potentially be changing the starting five frequently.
Celtics' outlook should still give fans reasons to be excited
Boston's center storyline should be interesting to follow. Adding Robinson improved the team's biggest weakness, and he and Queta should make for a strong duo. If either were to miss time, Boston still has Luka Garza, who can easily fill minutes in the regular season.
While fans may have been down on the Celtics, they'll still be a solid team next season. Even though the trade wasn't that great, Paul George should be a good fit alongside Jayson Tatum.
Speaking of Tatum, next season, he will be going into it as the team's top option. Fans should be excited for this, as we could see the best version of Tatum as a player.
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