Josh Minott EMERGES as HUGE contributor for Boston Celtics | Can He SUSTAIN This Impact?

Summary

---

Locked On Celtics Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Date: October 31, 2025
Host: John Karalis
Guest: Tom Westerholm
Main Theme:
Josh Minott’s emergence as a key contributor for the Boston Celtics, and whether he can sustain his impact. The episode also covers the team’s early-season form after a significant win against the Cavaliers, with insights into player roles, team chemistry, and rotation, particularly focusing on Minott and center Neemias Queta.

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Celtics’ improved form after a rocky start to the season, centering much of the discussion on Josh Minott’s surprising and significant contributions. Host John Karalis and guest Tom Westerholm analyze the Cavaliers win, evaluate the team’s chemistry, and explore what Minott’s attitude and playstyle mean for the short- and long-term future of the Celtics.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of the Cavs Win

Timestamps: 04:08–10:43

• The Celtics’ 5th game victory over the Cavaliers was significant for team morale and standings, helping them avoid an early-season hole after dropping their first three games.
• John and Tom agree that starting the season respectably is critical to prevent falling into a record that’s too hard to recover from in a competitive Eastern Conference.
  • Tom: “It was three in a row, and you are 0 and 3, and all of a sudden, you're looking down that barrel…so then to bounce back…was like, okay, that showed me something. That's good stuff.” (07:02)
• Both acknowledge that, while the Cavs weren’t at full strength (no Darius Garland; Mitchell cooled off), Boston executed what was needed—attention to detail, made threes, team defense.
  • John: “What we've seen over the first five games is this is not a bad basketball team…They are better than [a 30-win team].” (08:10)
• The hosts talk about the psychological benefits of seeing hard work pay off, especially for role players like Josh Minott featured in this episode.

---

2. Josh Minott’s Emergence & Attitude

Timestamps: 12:07–22:11

• Karalis spotlights Minott’s defensive energy, attitude, and humility, backed by post-game quotes that echo a mature, team-first approach.
  • John: “He picks up Evan Mobley right away, right off the jump ball...he was conscious of the rebounders...he did like a lot of those little things.” (15:14)
• Minott’s mentality is repeatedly praised:
  • Minott (quoted by Tom): “They're not really asking for much. Just do my best to defend the other team's best player, rebound, defend, and space the floor on offense. And truthfully, after that, everything they see is a plus.” (16:48)
  • Minott: “We were all stars in high school. Most of us were stars in college. So coming here, you got to understand that not everybody's going to be a star…I'm just here to make y'all look good.” (18:13)
• Both hosts urge the Celtics to “sign him up” long-term while his stock is reasonable, noting his value as a locker room presence and a role player who “gets it.”
  • John: “Because of the attitude. Because he gets it...some dudes...it’s the energy that he's playing with...that’s just going to be him.” (19:18)
• The humility to accept a limited but crucial NBA role is described as essential for Minott’s longevity and for filling a long-standing need in the Boston roster:
  • John: “It’s hard for guys to come into the league...being like, I was so good, no one could stop me…and now everybody can stop me. That's a humbling [thing]...You have to humble up and not be like, looking for 20 points.” (19:49)

---

3. Neemias Queta’s Rebounding & Consistency

Timestamps: 25:42–34:27

• The hosts transition to discuss Neemias Queta, lauding his rebounding and defensive improvement. Together with Minott, their combined 28 rebounds anchored the Celtics against a physically big but non-crashing Cleveland front line.
  • John: “He’s played pretty good defense...now he's had a stretch here. It's like, okay, good.” (25:42)
  • Tom: “It’s so important when you become a real rotation player...to be consistent, to be attentive to detail. That’s what makes Al Horford...so valuable.” (27:17)
• Joe Mazzulla emphasizes the difference between third-string fill-ins and reliable starters: consistency, attention to detail, knowing responsibilities. The challenge is not flashes, but nightly production.
• Tom credits Queta for exceeding expectations regarding detail and minimizing mistakes, but says it must be proven over a wider sample.
• Both agree that the Celtics ultimately still need a true starting center for the future, but project Queta could settle in as an effective backup.
  • John: “If that’s where this goes, then I’m perfectly happy with that.” (32:17)
  • Tom: “If you’ve got yourself a decent backup...great. Perfect.” (32:17)
• The hosts discuss the psychology of “feeding the big man”—rewarding effort on the glass with occasional touches, but not prioritizing post scoring for non-stars.

---

4. Is Boston Ahead of Schedule?

Timestamps: 34:27–35:59

• Karalis poses whether the Celtics are “ahead of schedule”; consensus is it's a little too early to claim, but another strong win or two would be evidence.
  • Tom: “I don't think you're too far out on a limb...If we see [a win against the Sixers or Rockets], then...this team is ahead of schedule.” (35:04)
• If the Celtics are 6–5 after the tough opening 11-game stretch, Karalis says that’s a strong indicator of progress and good coaching.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Minott’s Mentality:
  • "[Boston] is a dude that...he loves it here. You love. Like at some point here, snap him up, sign them to a long term deal and get him on the cheap." — John Karalis (16:21)
• On Buying In:
  • "We were all stars in high school. Most of us were stars in college. So coming here, you got to understand that not everybody's going to be a star...I'm just here to make y'all look good." — Josh Minott, quoted by Tom Westerholm (18:13)
• On Career Approach:
  • “Doing that job will make you very rich." — John Karalis, on Minott’s acceptance of his NBA role (20:48)
• On the Big Man’s Place:
  • "If the Celtics decide that they want to dump it into Keda for 10 post ups, that's going to be a bad basketball team." — John Karalis (33:19)
• On Consistency:
  • "Easy to be the third string guy...It's not as easy to be the starter because you've got responsibilities, you got guys counting on you, you have to be consistent." — John Karalis (27:16)
• On Early-Season Progress:
  • “If they are 6 and 5, then I think we can say like, they are a little bit ahead of schedule. You’d have to be ahead of schedule to get to 6 and 5.” — John Karalis (35:30)

---

Segment Timeline

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:12–04:08 | Opening/Housekeeping/Ad Reads/Intro to Main Topics | | 04:08–10:43 | The Importance of the Cavs Win and Avoiding a Bad Start | | 10:44–12:07 | Early-season context, rewards for role players | | 12:07–22:11 | Josh Minott’s Contributions, Attitude, and Role | | 22:12–25:42 | Transition/Features, segue to Queta | | 25:42–34:27 | Neemias Queta: Rebounding, Defense, Rotation, Consistency | | 34:27–35:59 | Is Boston Ahead of Schedule? | | 36:00–37:13 | Closing Banter & Outtro |

---

Tone & Takeaways

• The episode is energetic and conversational, featuring inside jokes—especially about Halloween and failed “spooky name” puns—balanced with deeply informed basketball analysis.
• Both hosts display clear-eyed optimism: acknowledging flaws in the roster but highlighting meaningful growth among role players.
• The focus on the rewards of “buying in” and the humility it takes for players like Minott and Queta underscores a positive, team-first culture the Celtics are nurturing under Joe Mazzulla.

---

For Celtics fans and NBA enthusiasts, this episode is a must-listen for unpacking role player emergence, nuances in player development, and what to genuinely watch for as Boston’s season unfolds.

Transcript

[A]

It's the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

[B]

Calling all fun lovers and memory makers, Texas invites you to cheer from our stadiums and dance like no one is watching. Culture seekers can find the art that truly inspires wow. And from our shopping hubs to our chic boutiques, fashionistas will never leave empty handed. Texas is an unforgettable experience that's waiting just for you. Visit traveltexas.com and plan your trip today.

[C]

Let's Texas and now a next level moment from ATT Business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding and International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. AT&T 5G requires a compatible plan and device coverage not available everywhere. Learn [e-mail] 5G Network.

[A]

Is it possible to have an important win five games into the season? That plus Josh Minot. Does he have sticking power in Boston? It's right now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast. Huh? Yep.

[D]

Beam Town ever ready. It's the seas. Who else could it be? What they gonna say now screaming like J.T.

[A]

Corralis.

[D]

We kept the madness every game, every practice. Prime time Depp and D White on the sideline. Rennie J's how we started raising Ben. That's how we finish. Locked on Celtics pot. Home of the winner.

[A]

Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics Podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network.

[E]

Where does your team every day and.

[A]

I'm here for you every day talking about your team, the Boston Celtics, Monday through Friday. Hey, they're playing twice in the weekend. Bonus podcast Friday Saturday. So you have 13 straight days of podcasts. They're all free and available Everywhere. They're on YouTube too, so go check those out, watch them get into the comments section becoming every day or be with me every day Monday through Friday as I talk about the Celtics. I'm John Corrales, beat writer for Boston Sports Journal. I've written a couple books about the team and I've been doing this job for about 20 years now. So yeah, I like talking about the team. Today's show is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app head to FanDuel.com today, right now, or when we're done with this to get started. Later on, we'll talk to Mish Kada because he's been pretty good. We'll talk about Josh Minot. Is. Is he just an. An absolute steal, a find? It's interesting. You know, a lot of people are saying, thank you, Minnesota. An interesting kind of path for him, but it was an important win to. To beat the Cavs. That's something that Tom Westerholm contends. Tom, how are you?

[E]

I'm good, man. How are you?

[A]

This is the Hollow. I'm good. This is the Halloween episode. We didn't come up with, like, spooky versions of our names like the Simpsons did on their show. Like, it was just like, I don't know what your Tom Westeround doesn't lend itself to, you know, neither, man. I don't know. I got no spooky names for us. I got. I got spooky frame that can put. I could do this on YouTube. You do like a candy border. I could do, like, that stuff. That's not annoying at all. How about some.

[E]

There you go. Favorite spooky movie for the. For the people.

[A]

I'm not. I'm not a horror movie guy. Not a spooky, spooky movie guy. It's just not my. Not my. My. My thing.

[E]

So just watch Late Night with the Devil, if anybody's seen that one. Great movie. Really great. Like, genuinely great movie.

[A]

My wife is watching House of Wax. She loves that stuff. I'm like, all you, babe. I'm gonna fire up the. The PS5.

[E]

Get her shutter, man. Like, as a. It's. It's a great streaming service. Got all kinds of great movies. Real fun.

[A]

Yeah, she's down with that stuff. Not scary. For the Boston Celtics after the win over the Cavs. This is a big celebration there. Everybody gets treat. I'm done. I'm done with it. I'm done with the puns. The win over the Cavs, we were talking about it before we started recording. It's. I think it's already. I think you. You made the point. And I agree. It is already kind of an important win because as we were talking about these segments, we've talked about this in the show before. The first seven games is like an early kind of like, just grind. Yeah. Yeah. And we're like, okay. Oh, and seven one and six. Two and five. You're like, okay, well, you've already got the two wins. And then there's that four Game stretch, you're like, hey, we, you know, sell this. Can go three and one. That. That. That's possible here.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

So the Philly game becomes kind of important just to shape the. The future of the season. You know, I was talking to somebody before the game, a scout. He was like, do you think the Celtics would just start losing? I think. And I was like, I think it depends on how they get through these first, like, 11 games. If they're. If they're 5 and 6, 6 and 5, then, no, I think they just continue pressing on. If they somehow end up two and nine, then you have to. Because at that point, making it up and getting to 44 wins, 45 wins gets really, really tough. But this win over the Cavs puts you squarely in. No, let's go for it. Let's make this playoff run.

[E]

Yeah. Yeah. And, I mean, I know it's like, it's early, right? And, like, so much is gonna happen this season. You know, injuries are gonna happen. Things are gonna happen. Like, it. It's an NBA season. Lots. Lot. You know, it's very, very early. But I think, like, these. This team. For this team specifically, it matters to start. Not. You don't have to start, like, super. Well, you don't have to, like, prove a point and come out and be like. Like, you know, like 5 and 2 or something. Like, you don't have to do that, but you do have to, like, come out and, like, you have to not dig yourself a hole. Like, we've talked about that a lot, and it's really important to not do that. And, you know, I mean, they were on the verge of doing that, right? Like. Like that losing to the Pistons. We talked about how pivotal that Pistons game felt. It was like, man, you kind of needed to. To get that one if you could. And especially when you lose that opening game to the Sixers, where it's like, that was right there. Like, you could have just gotten. It could have been 1 0. Like, that would have mattered, you know, so. So then to. To bounce back, and obviously, it's understandable to lose those games because one, you know, Edgecomb and.

[A]

And.

[E]

And Maxi went off like that. Yeah, of course. Two, like, the. The Pistons had a lot of rebounders like that. You know, that was always going to be a problem.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

Not in a vacuum. None of the first three losses hurt you. But the fact that it was. It was three in a row, and you are 0 and 3, and all of a sudden, you're looking down that barrel of, like, 07 and 1 and 6. And now you have to pick off a good win or two to be in a respectable position coming out of these first seven games. Last night's game was a, like a really good win for an early. Cavaliers didn't play that well. Darius Garland wasn't there, all that stuff. But like, I mean, they, they played hard.

[C]

They.

[E]

They paid attention to details, they mitigated their problems. They, they made three pointers. They did all the things right in the way that Joe Missoula has been asking them to do. It's like. And they did that in the fifth game of the season. That's a really good sign for a group that just came together. Like, I thought there was just a lot of. You know, it was funny because I think you and I were pretty down on the Celtics chances in that game, and I don't think that we got to that point by bad logical, rational process. Like, I think it was. I think it was like, pretty reasonable to be down on it. So for them to then come out and play the way they did and win the way they did was like, okay, that, that showed me something. Like, that's. That's good stuff.

[A]

This is not a bad team. So you. I think what we've seen over the first five games is this is not a bad basketball team. Well, some people have been saying, like, this is going to be a 30 win team. This is. They are not bad.

[E]

Foreign injuries. That is not a 30 win team.

[A]

No, that, that's right. Something's gonna have to happen for them to go to 30 wins, which might. And, you know, we'll see. But like, they are better than that. And it kind of falls in line with what we're saying. They're. They are still not good enough. And I don't know if they're ever going to be good enough at all of the things they need to be to beat good teams when the good teams are playing well. Yeah, and that's, that's the. I think that's a fair thing. If the Cavs continued to play well and had their full complement and Donovan Mitchell didn't disappear after the beginning of the second quarter and Evan Mobley, like all of that stuff. That, that's. There's a reason why I don't think anybody pushes back. When I said 30 chance to win and this just happened to be like that fall into that 30, like, that's great. That's. Sure. But they are good enough that when a team slips or you're facing a mediocre or bad team, you get A good chance of winning that game. And what you just said, the way you said it is I think, on the money, where to have it happen in Game 5, where enough stuff is coming together that you. You. You caught the Cav slipping a little bit, and, you know that, you know, we'll clean it up, mess around and find out, like, the Cavs messed around a little bit and the Celtics, you know, they. They found out and. And the Celtics pulled off the win.

[E]

Mess around and map it.

[A]

No, that's not gonna work either. So we're like 0 for 3. We're. We're on a Derek White slump with the spooky names.

[E]

And now that's a little unkind to us. That's.

[A]

Look, man, I am a fair analyst here. I gotta. I gotta give us the same treatment I give the players. We are. We are struggling from the field right now, but I do think, like, this is. These. These wins because of the tenuous nature of this roster, the schedule, like, everything. We don't know an injury. We don't know who's playing when. Sometimes getting these wins is. Is a big deal. Getting them early is a big deal. Getting the reward.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Seeing the hard work pay off is such a big deal, especially for some of these guys, like a Josh Minot, who we're going to get to in a second to see, hey, you know what? I put in the work. Oh, I got the start. Oh, I'm going against Evan Mobley. I am. I am making a difference. We won because of the stuff that I did. Like, Jalen dropping 30 is great, but, like, Jalen's going to do that every night. Derek's gonna figure it on Pritchard.

[E]

Yeah, but. But even. But even Jalen got rewarded a little bit. If you look at, like, you know, okay, he's playing exactly the way that Joe Missoula wants him to play. And I really think, like, you know, Jalen calls for a review and. And Missoula. Missoula has no idea if. Yeah, yeah, yeah, That's a good call. He's like, you know what? No, Jalen is playing exactly the way I want to play. Jalen called for the review. We're reviewing that thing, and it's like, yes. You know, it's like. Like little things. Like, I. I think, yeah, we're seeing rewards for these guys, and we're. And we're seeing, like, a bunch of misfit guys all come, like, figuring out that's going to be so important this year is how. What's the Joe Missoula said this a bunch. What's the best way that these guys can play together? Because they are a lot. There are a lot of talented players on this team. Chris Boucher didn't even play yesterday. There's a lot of talented guys on this team. And like, how can you maximize all of those guys? That's going to be a weird thing all season. But if they're doing it in game five like we're talking about here, that's, that seems big to me.

[A]

That is big. Josh Minot is a big deal already through five games. An interesting ride for him. Let's, let's talk about Josh specifically because he was so good and I love what he was saying after the game. That's all gonna come up here next. Today's show is brought to you by Robin Hood your ambition. Just minutes match with Robin Hood. You play for the win. Not just on game day. Every day. Locking in on every opening, beating your pr, beating it again. Channeling that drive into your money. Robinhood puts you in control of your money trades. Stocks, ETFs, options, futures and crypto all on one platform. You can now build and execute your own trades from a desktop with Robinhood Legends advanced tools. Or take advantage of the new Robinhood strategies with a tailored portfolio managed by a team of experts. You expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money and get started [e-mail] your money. That's robinhood.com yourmoney you money, you move. Today's show is also brought to you by DoorDash. The NBA season heating up, Door Dash has found the perfect way to keep fans in their bag all season long. Whether you're watching for the highlights fantasy team or just your favorite player, Door Dash makes it easy and every night is better. DoorDash is the official on demand delivery platform of the NBA and they're celebrating with something called a bag drop every time a player scores 50 in a game. And that's already happened a few times. So when that happens, DoorDash drops 50 off your order with Dash Pass the next day. You're automatically entered for a chance to win the ultimate fan bag as well. We're talking about player inspired drip exclusive gear and stuff you'll actually want. So it's not just food. You can get anything delivered from snacks to drinks, headphones, ice socks. I don't know if you suddenly need the socks, but hey, it's there if you want it. So DoorDash has you covered. Late night highlights, last minute watch parties, double OT fuel up. So the next time Someone goes off for 50 which could be at any moment, use the promo code NBA 50 the next day to get 50% off your DoorDash with Dash Pass plus your shot at the bag drop Dash Pass members only. 50 off up to $10 the next day after a 50 point game with promo code that's NBA 50 terms apply. No purchase necessary. Ends April 13th. You open to US residents 21 or older. Visit door-in your bag.com for full details. Doordash in your bag all season long. Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Go check out Lockdown NBA locked on NBA game night. I'm on game night on was it Wednesdays now covering every game in the association seven days a week. Locked on NBA in the afternoons. Covers all the big stories, all the big storylines. So two podcasts make Lockdown Celtics your first listen. Locked on NBA locked on NBA game night numbers two and three. You got all your podcasting covered right there.

[E]

Boom.

[A]

All right. Josh Minot was very good. I went back and re watched a lot of his defensive possessions and he, you know, like, like Joe said after the game, he gave up a couple of plays and you know, it's still part of the process, but he's out there, he's working hard. He picks up Evan Mobley like right away, right off the jump ball. He's right up on him. I like that he was conscious of the, the rebounders, the potential rebounders. He never really turned and looked at the ball. He turned and found, identified a rebounder and determined like, okay, he's not going, okay, now I can turn and go for the rebound or go. And he did like a lot of those little things after the game. He talks about, I love Boston, I love it here. He thanked everybody from, you know, the guys mopping up the floors to Brad Stevens and you know, it's, he's, he's, I think Tom, like this perfect kind of player. That came in understanding the desperation, came in understanding that this is, this is kind of like one of my last chances.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Saw the opportunity, seized it and is grateful for it. This all adds up to like, hey, this is, this is a dude that you, he, he loves it here. You love. Like at some point here, snap him up, sign them to a long term deal and get him on the cheap. You know what I mean? Like, he's a guy that, he wants to stick around, do it because I, I, I see it already, like, keep them, keep them.

[E]

Yeah. I two like two quotes from his post game that I thought that really stuck out to me. So the first one, you know, somebody asked him, like, kind of the process of learning what Joe wants, and he said, you don't really think about it. I mean, they're not really asking for much. Just do my best to defend the other team's best player, rebound, defend and space the floor on offense. And truthfully, after that, everything they see is a plus. Right? So I like that. I like that. Simple, simple basketball. You know, when Joe Missoula asks you to box out, like, you're saying, right. You see him, he's not looking at the ball, he's looking for somebody to go box out. He's like, okay, Joe wants me to box out, I'm gonna find that guy. I'm gonna stick my butt right in there. I'm gonna like, I'm not like, great. That's, that's. And then like you said, you know, the corner shooting, like, you make threes, whatever. I mean, like, you know, he says, face the Florida offense. After that, they see everything as a plus. Like, you know, any transition, dunk, whatever. That's all plus. Like, that's great. That's a great perspective to have made. Even better by literally his next quote in a question like, you know, have you always seen the game that way? And he's like, I mean, we were all stars in high school. Most of us were stars in college. So coming here, you got to understand that not everybody's going to be a star, yada yada. And like, you know, I'm, I'm good with that. You know, he's just said, like, I'm just here to make y' all look good. Blessed to have this great group around me. And y' all see it, man, they good. They go to basketball like great quotes.

[A]

To just elite attitude. Yeah.

[E]

I mean, that's when you put that attitude in a guy who has, who is in this situation that he's in where it's. It. This matters a lot right now to his career. This is such an important season and he's in a really good place. Like a place where people are going to embrace him if he plays, if he embodies what he just said, people in Boston will love Josh Minot the whole time he's here. So, yeah, I mean, I think I'm with you. I think sign this guy like, like this year for sure. Get him, get him on a. Get him on a cheap long term contract.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

Have him come off the bench behind. Like, Jaylen's already said, this is a guy we wish we could have had last year. Like, you got. You got big sign off from. From your superstars already. Like, no lose situation here with Josh.

[A]

Will he take like 3 for 12?

[E]

Like, you know, probably, like, why not? That's 4 million a year. That's long term security for Josh Minot. That's.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, just do it. Three for 12 right now. Boom. I'm. I'm in, like, because of the attitude. Because that he. He gets it. Like, there's just some dudes. You're like, it's not that he's just like, playing well for now. He. It's the energy that he's playing with that. That's just going to be him. That attitude and all of that, it's. It just fits. He's the exact kind of guy in this situation that works for Joe Missoula that you kind of want in your locker room. And maybe it took the flame out in Minnesota for him to really hone in on the stuff that you're saying that I get that not everybody's a star. I'm not trying to do too much. I understand that. It's hard. It is hard for guys to come into the league and being like, I was so good, no one could stop me, and now everybody can stop me. That's a humbling. And it's hard to get there because you think I'm just going to go out and just keep doing what I do, eventually I'll break through. You have to have. Joe talks about it all the time. You have to have the humility to be like, okay, I am not in the NBA. I'm not there. I'm here. And that means I got to do different things. So I got to humble up and not be like, looking for 20 points. I just got to do this job. Because doing that job will make you very rich.

[E]

Yes.

[A]

That job will give you 20, 30, $40 million over the course of a very nice career. And so are you going to be stupid and blow it, or are you going to be smart and do the hard work and be a very rich person?

[E]

And you see, like, right, you do the hard work, you have the right attitude, and hey, you're starting after three games, like, and I know there's like a special circumstance where, you know, the team's like, stars are out, all that stuff. But he's earned that starting spot. And when he got the starting spot, he scored 15 points, and then he grabbed 15 rebounds in the next game. For a team that desperately needs rebounds, like, he's. He's doing everything right right now. And like. And I think, yeah, I mean, I think so much of it. You know, when you make it to the NBA, you have a skill. You have a professional basketball players, like, skill set, physical attributes, all this stuff. You have that, like, if you just take that and then you just strip all the ego out of it and you just say, okay, this team needs X. How can I give it to them? How can I use what I have to give them what they need? And like, Josh Minot is doing that perfectly so far this season. It like, really, I mean, well done, man.

[A]

Like, that's, that's happy for him, man.

[E]

Happy too.

[A]

Yeah, I'm happy that I did the feature on him, that I chose him. Yeah. All right. I identified him right away because, because.

[E]

Doesn'T it feel good to identify prospects?

[A]

Because I saw the same thing that Jalen Brown saw. This is exactly the type of guy that you guys have needed. You've needed this guy and now he's here. If he gets it, if he can put his head in the right place, it's there for him. It's all laid out, you know, and I'm not saying that I have any sort of special ability to do it. All you got to do is look at this team, look at his attributes and be like, oh, yeah, this, this should work. Like, Brad Stevens brought him in for a reason. And that's if, if this season ends and Minot is like the hit that you can sign for long term and take him into next year. Guess what? You found a cheap player who can accentuate Tatum and Brown in your team. And that is a successful summer of 2025 that, considering the circumstances, take the win. Brad Stevens. And on top of it, he has an elite three point celebration. I just think the, the why not Minot thing is perfect. I mean, just plays into the whole Persona. I'm like, yes, dude, that's, that's it. That I, I think that's a, it's a good one. He's winning all the way around. He's winning all the way around. So I'm happy for him. I'm happy for him. Also happy for Namishkeda because some people, some people out there were doubting him. I don't know who, I don't know who couldn't, couldn't be here. I'm. We're just trying to find the guy who did this. The Mishkeda has been good after the break. We'll do that after today's show is brought to you by FanDuel. NBA is back. Obviously NFL in mid season. There's no better place to get in the on the action then FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game, sometimes that happens and you come in, you're like hey, let me ride this hot hand. Jalen Brown. Fanduel has live bets. Even though Jalen says don't bet on me, you can still do it on FanDuel and it gives you everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus you can combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. Keep every game exciting, especially when your team is making that late push right now. If you're a new customer, FanDuel will give you $300 in bonus bets. If your first bet wins, your first $5 bet wins. So head to FanDuel.com to sign up. When you sign up, it'll ask you to set a budget, set a limit. Please do that. We know you can do whatever you want with the money that you can afford to lose. Whatever you can afford to lose. That is your budget. FanDuel wants to keep that in intact. So sign up for that. Set your budget, set your limit, gamble responsibly. Go to FanDuel.com, sign up. Play your game with FanDuel. The official sports betting partner of the NBA.

[F]

New Balance Hoops is changing the game with a roster built for the future. Aaron Neesmith, Tyrese Maxey, Zach Lavine, Cooper Flagg is the newest NBA draft pick and Cam Brink who's raising the bar for women's basketball. Whether it's the Hezilo V2 for quick cuts, the two way V5 for all around play, or the Kawai 4 for those who never stop climbing. New Balance Hoops makes shoes built for every player. Visit new balance.com basketball to explore more.

[A]

Thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Make your second listen maybe. Lockdown fantasy basketball Josh Lloyd's got you covered. Who to add, who to drop, who's who's rising, who's not start, bench, all that stuff that can help you win your fantasy league. Josh Lloyd's got you covered. Find him wherever you found us. Tom 13 rebounds. He like the 28 rebounds for him and Josh Minot was huge. Cows are not a big rebounding team despite their size. They came in 17th in offensive rebounding percentage. They are worse I think after the game because they don't crash much. And hey, if you're not going to crash, Keita and Minot clean things up and they did a good job because it's not that the, the Cavs don't crash. It's, you know, they don't aggressively crash, but there are still guys you have to box out. And they did it. Keda has been pretty good. He's played pretty good defense. He's had a couple of games earlier that were like, ugh. And now he's had a stretch here. It's like, okay, good. Tom. Joe is. Every time we bring up Neemi, Joe has said kind of something similar. This is great. We just need him to keep doing it. Okay. Can't, can't do it a little bit. Got to do it all the time now. And that's, that's the challenge. And I think one of the best things that Joe has said about Mimi and other guys like that, it's easy to be the third string guy. You come in, either you're good or you're not. Whatever. You just play like crazy. You just, you make plays and whatever.

[E]

Yep.

[A]

It's not as easy to be the starter because you've got responsibilities, you got guys counting on you. You have to be consistent. And it's tougher. You don't get to have bad games like that because especially with this center rotation, somebody else is going to come in and try to take that spot. So Keda, to his credit, and I'm, I will stand up. As much as I was joking before, I have always questioned him and I still am like, you know, let's. I, I want to see it consistently as well, but credit where credit is due. The past few games he's been really, really good. And if he can be this consistently, that does change a lot about the outlook of this team.

[E]

It does. Yeah. I think, I mean, I think we've, we've touched on this and kind of hit this around a little bit before, but it's, it's so important when you become a real rotation player and a real starter to, to, to, to be con, to be consistent, to be attentive to detail. And I think that's where you see Keda struggling in the past. Right. Is like that attention to detail. That's, that's what makes Al Horford. Al Horford. You know, that every single thing he does is just like, he's mastered this game, he's mastered what he does in this game and he pays attention to the details and he does the little things and that makes him such a valuable big man. You saw it with Cornet, right? Like a lot of stuff that Cornet does was just like, detail, detail, detail. And, you know, that's, that's where Kate has always been lacking. And I think that's why I had a lot of doubts about him coming into this season. It's like, you know, like, I get, you know, great. He had a good summer. He had all, you know, all this stuff. Like, you know, he's had flashes in the past, but this is like, Celtics fans have gotten used to watching a center rotation with a couple of guys who are just as precise and attentive to detail as it gets. So when I. With Kada, my concern was just like, it's not gonna look like that anymore. There's gonna be a lot of problems here. And then we've seen flashes of that. But I think what we've seen too is a lot more attention to detail than I expected. Right. Like, I didn't expect him to, to be as consistent as he's been on the glass. I expected, I expected way more offensive fouls on screens. You know, I just, I expected to see a lot of, kind of the, you know, kind of BS that you saw with Keda last year. Yeah, there's been less. And that matters a lot. Even if he isn't, you know, I mean, he's not gonna be a perfect player this year. Everybody knows that. But like, if, if, if he, you know, kind of like the rebounding, if you can mitigate the bad stuff and just kind of like make the scales even out a little bit, that matters so much on this team. And he's been doing that. And that's really good so completely with you. I want to see it over a longer stretch here, but to me, that's, that's the really good stuff that we've seen so far.

[A]

It just. When we talk about detail, there's no way anybody listening or watching can understand the level of detail. The NBA players in general, professional athletes in general, we're talking about. He's in drop coverage, let's say, and he is at the foul line and he's supposed to be a step further up and Joe will get on him about that. Like, you're here, you're supposed to be two steps here or two steps there, because you're allowing this passing lane or you're, you're taking away whatever, whatever. Like, there's, that's the stuff, those little fine tuning things, like you said, when you bring Al Horford such a great example, because how do you play until you're 40 without knowing angles, details, the rules, all of that stuff. And like, Some of the things like verticality, you can be vertical, but if you're jumping forward, you can't jump forward with your hand straight up and, and be vertical. That's not. So get into position first and then jump. That kind of stuff. So you can't be out of position. So you have to be aware of everything that's happening on the floor. And you're responsible for everybody. Defensively, you're the guy in the back line. You're responsible to tell Jalen and Derek and Peyton what's happening because everybody is. They get their back to everything. They see one person in front of them, Keita, and any big back there has, and they have to trust him to do that. So that's all the important stuff. If he's doing all of that stuff, then that's great. I still think obviously the Celtics need to get a center.

[E]

Yes.

[A]

And I think a best case scenario is that they find themselves a true starting center who can start 72 games for them next season. But Keda can be a legitimate backup second unit big that you can rely on. And if that's where this goes, then I'm perfectly happy with that.

[E]

But very similar to mine out. If that's. If you, if you've got yourself a decent. If this season helps you discover a decent backup there, great. Perfect.

[A]

He just, he still, he still needs to work on things, obviously. And I don't wanna, I don't want to nitpick. I've said what I need to say about him. Some of it, some of that stuff is going to show up. But I think Keda and you know, one of the things that a lot of the. There are a lot of big Kada fans out there. Like, you gotta, you gotta feed the big man. Like. No, no, actually, let me, let me, let me take that back. Every once in a while you do have to feed the big man because if he's rebounding and boxing out and blocking shots, you have to give him an opportunity to touch the ball on offense and make a play. Whether it's make a pass or take a shot, you have to reward him.

[E]

So one from three, as Keda did.

[A]

Yesterday, you know, hey, like. But Joe Missoula will live with that.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

It was also, I think six on the shot clock. So you say, okay, but if the, if the big guy is doing the work, he needs to be fed. You know what I mean? And if, and he's doing the work now, you're not gonna, you're not gonna. He's not prime Shaq. So you're not gonna dump it into him and let him go to work in the post 10 times because you still have Jalen and Derek and Peyton and Anthony Simons and all those guys. Those are your scores. So it doesn't matter how talented Keda is or what he's capable of. We just went to the whole thing with Josh Minot. Doesn't matter what you are capable of. What is your job here? And if the Celtics decide that they want to dump it into Keda for 10 post ups, that's going to be a bad basketball team. So that's not what they should be doing. But it doesn't mean you don't feed them. I understand that. You got to give him a couple of looks, a couple of tastes, so he can go back down there and be happy doing all the dirty work. Because everybody, Tom, everybody on a basketball team wants to score, it turns out. Yeah, everybody wants a bucket, man. Everybody wants a bucket.

[E]

And you can sit there and always has been about buckets. Bill Russell.

[A]

Nice, nice reference. So, yes, feed the big man every once in a while, but he just has to be aware of. Of the details. So. But shout out to him, man, this is. This has been. This has been good. We're gonna go long. If I ask this question, I'm gonna ask it anyway. Like. Like, is it. Let's be quick. Can we say the Celtics are ahead of schedule? Is it. Is it too much to say that? Or are they like, is it on schedule?

[E]

I think. I think it's too soon to say that. I think. I think you're a little. But, but, but I think that another good win. Like, I think that we're close to being able to say that. Like, I don't think. I don't think you're too far out on a limb. I want to see. I want to see a win against the Sixers or the Rockets. And then I would. And then I would love to see them go three and one over that stretch. If. If we see that, I think then you're really like, okay, this team is ahead of schedule.

[A]

Six, five and six or six and five after the 11. Six and five especially, obviously six and five. If they're six and five after those 11 games, then I'm already being like, hey, Joe Missoula, coach of the year. You know, start. Let's start getting these accolades out there. But no, seriously, like, if they are 6 and 5, then I think we can say, like, they are a little bit ahead of schedule. You'd have to be ahead of schedule. To get to 6 and 5, so.

[E]

For sure.

[A]

All right, well, I'll let you go so you can get your costume ready for. I don't know what your costume would be. Me. I think it was me.

[E]

I. You know what? My son was. Was very disappointed that I didn't get it myself. A costume this year. And I. I just. I watched through Spirit Halloween, and I saw nothing that didn't make me kind of go like that.

[A]

I'm good. So, yeah, there's a. There's a point where, like, it's. It's past dressing up time.

[E]

It's. It's. I've reached it.

[A]

Unless I can get, like, a legitimate Darth Vader costume. Like, if I can dress up, I will dress up as Darth Vader and walk through the neighborhood. If I can get one of those, like, voice modulators. Just.

[E]

If you found a good. Yeah, if you. If you found a good one of those. I mean, does that turn you into then Ben Wyatt, you know, dressing as Batman in Parks and Rec? Is that the.

[A]

I don't know the reference. All right, sorry. Over.

[E]

Over five, over six.

[A]

I'm telling you, man, we're so cold. It's because our roles have changed. Actually, they haven't changed. They're the exact same.

[E]

Pretty much the same. That's.

[A]

It just stink right now. Just horrible. Oh, all right. Get out of here, Tom.

[E]

All right, man. Appreciate you anyway.

[A]

I always appreciate you, Tom. I always appreciate you listening, watching, bearing with our shenanigans here on the podcast. Happy Friday. Happy Halloween. Heading into November, clocks fall back. It's gonna start getting dark at 4pm it's gonna get tough. It's gonna get tough out there. So we know what you do. You light a fire, you pour yourself a glass of wine, and you turn on the Locked on Celtics podcast to get you through the winter. Because I'll be here for you five days a week. Bonus podcast on the weekends when they play, like this weekend, tomorrow night against Philly, Post game podcast. Then Saturday night against Houston post game podcast. So make sure you're subscribed. Wherever you get your podcast, Watch the show on YouTube, get into the comment section, of course, and share the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the lockdown Podcast Network. It's your team every day. And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by. By his natural ally, Doug Limu.

[F]

Is that guy with the binoculars watching.

[A]

Us cut the camera, they see us. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts Life.

[G]

Doesn't pause when you lose service, which is why you need a prepaid carrier that keeps up with U.S. cellular Prepaid. You never have to settle for slow or spotty service that leaves you behind. You get fast nationwide 5G coverage even in hard to reach places where through every season so you can stay connected to the people and moments that matter the most. You also got a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy A26.5G US Cellular Prepaid. See uscellular.com for details.