Neemias Queta's CEILING, Chemistry with Jayson Tatum, Celtics System

Summary

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Locked On Celtics – April 7, 2026

Episode: Neemias Queta’s Ceiling, Chemistry with Jayson Tatum, Celtics System

Host: John Karalis (Boston Sports Journal)
Guest: Tom

Overview

This episode is a deep dive into the emergence and impact of Celtics’ center Neemias Queta—his development, recent performances, chemistry with Jayson Tatum, fit within Boston’s system, and how he stacks up against other centers (especially former Celtic Luke Kornet). Karalis and Tom use recent games and advanced stats to explore whether Queta’s current surge is sustainable and what his long-term ceiling might be.

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Key Discussion Points

Neemias Queta’s Hot Streak and Role (01:11–04:42)

• Recent Performance: Queta’s last four games saw scoring outputs of 18, 19, 16, and 17 points—his best stretch of the season.
• Circumstances Contributing to Success:
  • The “second apron” roster rules and injuries forced the Celtics to play younger or less proven players like Queta through mistakes, giving him a critical runway to develop.
  • Lower external expectations for this season allowed for experimentation and player growth.
  • Injuries to other bigs (e.g., Vucevic) opened opportunities for Queta to see more minutes alongside Jayson Tatum.

“Every time there’s been something that happened, Keda has been the beneficiary and has—to his incredible credit—stepped up, filled that whatever expectation and excelled in those moments.” – John Karalis (03:54)

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Chemistry with Jayson Tatum & Offense Evolution (04:43–08:52)

• Tatum’s Effect: Queta’s best play coincides with Tatum’s return, leading to a potent pick-and-roll pairing.
• Comparison to LeBron: Tom likens Tatum’s pick-and-roll orchestration to LeBron James, especially due to Tatum’s vision and height.
• Tall Passer + Tall Target: The Tatum-Queta synergy is highlighted by Tatum’s ability to find angles and Queta’s improvements as a target.

“It is starting to feel…a little bit like LeBron James, right? Where it’s like there is this sense of like ‘I know where my guys are going to be…I know how I’m gonna throw this pass so that it gets to them—and oh, by the way, I’m really tall, so I can see everything that’s happening at all times.’” – Tom (05:24)

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Queta’s Growth: Skills & Development (07:29–10:36)

• Jalen Brown’s Testimony: Jalen Brown commended Queta’s developmental leap:

“‘Early in the season it just felt like when you would have a conversation, it just wasn’t connecting. It just seems like everything is connecting with him. … It’s like night and day almost.’” – Quoted by John Karalis (07:47)

• Advanced Screening: Queta’s screening quality has dramatically improved, showing both tangible skill growth and “game feel.”

“His screening is so, so good…and it did not used to be. It is like, of all the things…that he has gotten better at, like the screening is wild to me.” – Tom (08:55)

• Game Understanding: Queta’s ability to read and counter different defensive coverages is now a major strength.

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Defensive Impact (10:16–11:13)

• Queta has evolved into a serious rim deterrent—recent opponents (e.g., the Raptors) have shown visible reluctance to drive at him.
• The combination of smart screening, team spacing, and rim protection makes Queta pivotal to Boston’s system.

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Comparing Queta to Luke Kornet (11:38–16:54)

• Internet Reaction: Some fans see the Kornet comparison as disrespectful, but both hosts insist that’s off-base—Kornet was excellent in Boston and remains valuable in San Antonio.
• Statistically and stylistically, Kornet and Queta’s roles and efficiencies are strikingly similar.
• Kornet was more ball-mover; Queta is a higher-usage finisher due to lineup and system context.

“They are very similar players in terms of their role…right? This is a very friendly system. This is a very friendly team for talented bigs.” – Tom (16:54)

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Advanced Stats Dive: Role in the Celtics’ System (19:39–24:17)

• Key Advanced Metrics:
  • Queta’s block %: 5.3 (Kornet’s was 4.8)
  • Rebounding %: Queta 18, Kornet 15.5
  • Usage rate: Queta 14.7, Kornet 11.4
• Discussion on Ceiling:
  • Both hosts urge moderation: Queta is not (yet) a top-10 NBA center, despite fan excitement.

“People are talking about him being a…top ten center. Like, okay…I don’t know. Top ten?” – John Karalis (21:01)

• Center Ranking Countdown: Jokic, Wembanyama, Towns, Sengun, Bam, Duren, Holmgren, Mobley, Zubac… Queta is recognized as a strong mid-tier center, not elite.

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The Influence of the Celtics System (27:55–33:05)

• Big-Friendly Environment: Boston’s system is designed for bigs to succeed—screening, rolling, and finishing are built into the team’s offensive ecosystem.
• Synergy Data: Many Celtics bigs (including two-way/call-ups like Luca Garza) have high pick-and-roll efficiency, suggesting the system “makes” bigs productive.
• Mutual Development: The system doesn’t just elevate players; it helps them become good by sharpening skills in a competitive, supportive structure.

“It’s not just that the system makes you look good, the system makes you good. That’s the best way to put it.” – John Karalis (33:05)

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Role Buy-In, Character, and Development Path (34:20–35:31)

• Succeeding in Boston’s system isn’t automatic: players must be willing to master their role, work hard, and remain disciplined.
• Extreme example: Hassan Whiteside’s skillset and mentality would not fit, even in Boston's environment.

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Ceiling, Age, and Future Growth (35:31–43:14)

• Age & Timeline: Queta is 26 now, turning 27—so he’s already entering his athletic prime, not a young, raw prospect.
• Sharpening vs. Improving: At this stage, further “growth” is expected to come more from refining than discovering new skills—but that can still mean significant improvement (e.g., as with Jalen Brown’s evolution).
• Areas for Enhancement: If Queta develops a consistent post move or three-point shot, his offensive ceiling could further expand.
• All-Star Potential? Both hosts are skeptical but not dismissive: it’s unlikely, but massive playoff impact or diversification of skills could propel him much higher in league hierarchy.

“If he can develop that three point shot…maybe we are talking about a guy who can average 15 to 17 points a game regularly. And then…maybe he is an All Star. I don’t know. I would say right now I don’t think he will reach an All Star level, but also I’m not going to say he can’t.” – John Karalis (40:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Tom on Tatum’s Pick-and-Roll Genius

“It is starting to feel, at the risk of hyperbole, a little bit like LeBron James…There is this sense of like ‘I know where my guys are going to be. I know how I’m going to throw this pass so that it gets to them. And oh, by the way, I’m really tall, so I can see everything that’s happening at all times.’”
[05:24]

John Karalis quoting Jalen Brown on Queta

"It just seems like everything is connecting with him. …It’s been a privilege to watch the growth from the start of the season to where he is now. It’s like night and day almost.”
[07:47]

On Comparing Queta and Luke Kornet

“They are very similar players in terms of their role….This is a very friendly team for talented bigs.”
– Tom, [16:54]

On Boston’s System for Bigs

“It’s not just that the system makes you look good, the system makes you good. That’s the best way to put it.”
– John Karalis, [33:05]

Cautious Optimism on Ceiling

“…If this could be it, it could be great. I don’t know. But I’m fascinated by the whole journey…Nothing is going to surprise me with Keda.”
– John Karalis, [43:00]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:11 – Start of Queta discussion and episode focus
• 04:43 – Chemistry with Jayson Tatum and offense mechanics
• 07:29 – Jalen Brown’s remarks on Queta’s growth
• 10:16 – Defensive impact/rim deterrence
• 11:38 – Comparing Queta to Luke Kornet
• 19:39 – Advanced stats, context in the Celtics’ system
• 27:55 – System’s impact on bigs, Synergy data
• 35:31 – Discussion shifts to age, ceiling, realistic future
• 40:55 – What would elevating Queta’s offensive game look like?
• 43:00 – Wrap-up: open-endedness of Queta’s ceiling

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Tone & Takeaways

Karalis and Tom use a critical but enthusiastic tone: admiring Queta’s progress while tempering the current hype with context, data, and caution from prior experiences.
Throughout, they engage in responsible speculation about his real ceiling—stressing that while Boston’s system is a great incubator for centers, Queta’s hard work, buy-in, and genuine skill advancement are equally crucial. Fans are encouraged to enjoy the ride while keeping expectations in check.

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Bottom Line

• Neemias Queta is making major real-time improvements, especially in pick-and-roll partnership with Jayson Tatum.
• His rise is as much about his personal growth as Boston’s “big-friendly” system.
• Current fan excitement is warranted, but he remains more high-functioning role player than star; still, the door isn’t closed on bigger leaps if he diversifies offensively.
• The Queta-Tatum pairing could be crucial in the playoffs.
• The journey is ongoing—and Celtics fans can look forward to seeing just how high Queta’s ceiling really is.

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Transcript

[John Corrales]

It's the Locked on podcast network your team every day.

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[John Corrales]

Now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast, Namish K. How good can he actually be and where does he stand in the league? Lock those Celtics pot. Home of the winners.

[Tom]

Hey there.

[John Corrales]

Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast podcast. I'm John Corrales. Today's show is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use the code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Today's whole show is about Nish Ka. Later on we'll get to his ceiling. We're going to get to the con the. The comparisons with Luke Cornett that some people don't seem to appreciate. All the whole show about Namish K. And we're gonna talk about Nene with our guy Tom. What's her home.

[Tom]

What up?

[John Corrales]

What's going on? Tom, you ready?

[Tom]

I'm ready. Yeah. Let's. Let's talk some keta.

[John Corrales]

Talk about Portuguese Wilt Chamberlain.

[Tom]

That's it.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. The man is. The man is on a roll. The man is playing some really good basketball.

[Tom]

Quite like on a. On a pick and roll. Some might say.

[John Corrales]

Some might say he. That's good. You've thrown me off. We got to start completely over. No, he, he's. He is on a, on a. A roll. His last three games especially where he's had 18, 19, 16. Actually he's four games he 17. So he's, he's playing his best basketball. Uh, is it a coincidence to you that his best basketball has come with Jason Tatum back.

[Tom]

No. No, it is not. I would not call that a coincidence. I can expand if you want, but no, to answer your question, because I.

[John Corrales]

So there's. This is. First of all, let me. Let me say this. I think. I think Keda has benefited from a lot of kind of extenuating circumstances where the second apron has created an element of. Nene can play free, he can play without worry. There's probably been a dozen or so instances this season of him making mistakes on the court where he probably would have been benched last year. But because of the situation, he's got to play through all of that stuff. He's benefited from the lower expectations of the team where it's just, hey, let's just go. We're going to try to see who can accentuate these guys and. And let's. Let's work on this guy. We need to see if he can. He can step up. So with Tatum out and him working with Brown and Peyton and all that stuff, he's gotten a lot of minutes. And now you had Vuch. I sat here a month ago saying maybe they should start Vuch, because the pick and pop clears some space for Tatum and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then Vuch gets hurt, and now Tatum gets to work with Keda, and they've just built this entire chemistry, and that has probably worked out better than the other thing. So he. Every time there's been something that happened, Keda has been the beneficiary and has. Has, to his incredible credit, stepped up, filled that whatever expectation and excelled in those moments. So he has taken full advantage of everything. And now Tatum is back. Tatum is. He's. He's getting these minutes with Tatum and he's doing exactly what they. They need him to do with it. So, yeah, expand on it, because I think the Tatum element is definitely a big part of it.

[Tom]

Well, for sure. And I think just to. Before. Before we get to Tatum, I think it's interesting too, to look back. You know, you talked about, you know, like, the. The Runway he's had this year, right, where it's like, we really need you to be good. That kind of started last year. Like, we started to get hints of, like, Joe being like, Neemi can be so good. You know, like, they really started to pump him up and it. In. In retrospect, it's kind of funny to look back at that and know, like, they knew the second apron was coming last year. Presumably. They kind of knew, like, we're gonna have to dump all of Our pigs, probably all of them, they probably knew halfway through the season, like, yeah, even Luke is probably out of here. We're gonna need this guy to be really good. Let's start pumping his tires now. Let's start really, you know, hammering all of our concepts with this guy because there's a good chance that this guy is going to be our guy next season. You know, I think this feels like it's been a couple of years coming with Keda. They've. They've had this kind of vision for him of. We, we kind of want you to, To. To play a specific role within our team, and here he is. He's doing it. Yeah. And to your point, with him and Tatum, I. It's. It's very interesting to watch because Jalen has been a good distributor this season. Like, quite good. Like, very, very good. I, I don't want to. And, and. And I don't want to do the thing that we always do. It's like, I'm not saying any of this to take it away from Jalen. Obviously, we're not. We've never been doing that, but it is, it is very noticeable how great elite Tatum is as a pick and roll maestro at this point. I, It. It is starting to feel, at the risk of hyperbole, it is starting to feel a little bit like LeBron James, right? Where it's like there is this sense of like, I know where my guys are going to be. I know how I'm going to throw this pass so that it gets to them. And oh, by the way, I'm really tall, so I can see everything that's happening at all times. And like those pick and roll players when they're tall, like Tatum, and then, and then when your target is tall, like Keda, I mean, what, like, just, Just. Just a, A perfect setup there. So, yeah, I. Tatum's been awesome for Neemi. I, I think that they, they're. They're really fun to watch together. It's fun to watch Tatum just kind of see the angles and kind of read which one is going to be the best angle to throw it. He had that one yesterday where he, you know, just kind of like, just kind of laced it like, like a side. Just, you know, around one guy straight to Keda, like, got, you know, got a bucket. Like, it's their, Their. Their partnership is really strong. So, yeah, I, I think, you know, especially as you look to the playoffs and you start to look to some of these, these lineups that the Celtics are going to throw out there, I Mean, you know, Kata Tatum, that's. That. That is going to create a lot of problems. That's going to be a really high usage pairing. I think.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, I, I think the, the, the credit that, that Keda really, really deserves and it's probably my, like I've said this a bunch is growth and, and listen, don't take it from me. Jalen Brown. Here's the quote from Jaylen Brown. Early in the season it just felt like when you would have a conversation, it just wasn't connecting. It just seems like everything is connecting with him. He's got a good feel for the game and he sees where he needs to be and it's been really great for our team this year. It's been a privilege to watch the growth from the start of the season to where he is now. It's like night and day almost. So Jalen is very definitively saying what Cato was at the beginning of the season to what he is now is. Is so markedly different. A credit to him, the development staff, Joe, the players, the players around him to Jalen. It's a credit to every single person within Keita's sphere here now. It's a credit to Jason and as well and a credit to Keda for working on that chemistry there. I did a whole breakdown on Keda's pick and roll timing, getting out of picks quickly, when to stick with a pick, when to slip the pick.

[Tom]

All that screening is so good now.

[John Corrales]

It's.

[Tom]

I, I didn't want to let that go past without just like that. His screening is so, so good and it did not used to be. It is like of all the things, of all the many. Of all the myriad things that he has gotten better at, like the screening is wild. To me that, that is just because so much of that is timing and just getting it like getting it right and he gets it right all the time now. It's really impressive.

[John Corrales]

It's. You know, you still see pockets here and there where. And like the, it's, it's. It's still like some work in progress. Yeah, just like everything. Just like everything.

[Tom]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Corrales]

But the, the understanding. Oh, they're switching. I'm doing this. Oh, they're. They're showing. They're hedging. I'm doing this. They drop. No problem. I got the. Once he sees it, he knows it and it's again it. They called it Celtics University. There's a whole big thing in the middle of the season about Celtics University and that. I think that approach you. You you put Keita in there. All of these guys have benefited. I can't think of a single guy like Kate is the big, the big reason, like he's one of the huge reasons why this team is a 53 win team.

[Tom]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

Because we're focusing so much on the offense defensively. I said it in last night's post game podcast. Yeah. I don't think I've seen a team as afraid to drive on Keda as the Raptors were. He's, I think he's reaching another level of rim protection as a rim deterrent.

[Tom]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

So all of this stuff, the, the, the understanding of, oh, they're in drop coverage. Well, I'm going to stick this screen. I'm going to stand here, I'm going to hold this guy. This guy ain't going nowhere. Now all of a sudden, Jayson Tatum has four on four and like four on four is so different. And Tatum picks it apart. And then you have Sam Houser in one corner, Jaylen Brown in another corner, Derrick White up at the, at the hash mark. So you got gravity all over the floor. You got Tatum with a step and he's attacking Jakob Po.

[Tom]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

And you're like, all right. No wonder it was an easy dunk because Kada starts it off with the screen. The rest of the team, gravity is there and it just, it all works. It's been, it's been so much fun. It's been a lot of fun. So I've, I said that Kate is doing kind of like a Luke Cornett impression.

[Tom]

Yeah. Which you were really disrespectful. The Internet said.

[John Corrales]

The Internet. The. Some on the Internet said that that's disrespectful. Which makes me think, do people not remember how good Luke Cornett was? That the spurs threw a bunch of money at Luke Cornett because of how good he was last year? I want to get into a little bit of that and the Celtics system because there's one stat that I saw in my, in my piece today that I included my piece today that makes me also have to include in all of this. This Celtic system is really good for bigs. So we'll talk about that stuff when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by. Indeed. You need to hire and you need to find somebody to fill this job while you're going through all your workplace chaos. Indeed. Sponsored. Jobs is going to be that element that gives you an advantage because just like Celtics and NBA teams, they, when they need to fill a roster spot, they go out and find the players, the people who check a bunch of the boxes that they're looking for. You're doing the exact same thing. 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Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Today's show is also brought to you by Wayfair. Wayday is here. Did you know we're all celebrating Way Day. If you've been thinking about getting an upgrade for your space, this is the time to do it. They're the best deals of the year on furniture, decor, outdoor essentials and everything you need to refresh your home during Wayday. Wayfair is offering up to 88,0 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything, making it easy to find pieces that fit your style in your budget. It's super easy to filter by style, size and price so you're not wasting time scrolling the reviews and photos help you feel confident in what you're getting. I know that the photos I get links whenever my wife gets the itch to redecorate. It's, it's almost always Wayfair links and very easy to kind of scroll through everything and filter and with Wayfair Verified products, they're vetted by specialists. 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I've been covering the Celtics for 20 years and I've been doing this podcast for 10, which I think qualifies me some to talk about the Celtics maybe a little bit, maybe not. I don't know. Some people may have different opinions. All right, so, Tom, Luke Cornett was very good last year. I, at this point, I think Kata might be playing a little bit better, but also, I don't know what's, what's your, what's your take on this? You're muted by the way. What's your take on, like, where, where does he fit in, like the Luke Cornette spectrum? He's not doing all the celebrations and all that stuff. But I gotta remind people, Luke was really, really good last year. He was really good. And also he's really good now, by the way. The spurs love him. Wemby sits, he plays and they do fine. He's good on the floor. There's not like a massive drop off. Not saying, you know what I'm saying. He holds down the fort and handles his job well. Luke Cornett is good. So saying that he's in that Luke Cornett mold right now, I don't think I'm being disrespectful, but I don't know, Tom, you tell me.

[Tom]

No, you're not being disrespectful. In fact, it's, it's very funny when you go on synergy, right, and you look at their, the, the Luke Cornett, like the Luke Cornett play types from this year, vers from last year versus the Nemikeda play types from this year. Right there. They are strikingly similar both in terms of the, both in terms of the amount of times that they run these plays and in terms of the quality of those plays, like, you know, Keda, pick and roll man. Excellent as the roll man. Right. Offensive rebounds, very good. Transition, excellent Cut good. Like, he's. He's good. His efficiency is good. And all those last year, Cornett cuts, excellent. Offensive rebounds, excellent pick and roll man. Excellent transition, Very good. Like, Kate has been a little bit better in transition. Cornette with, you know, better. Like, they are very similar players in terms of their role, which I know we're going to get to the system. A lot of that comes with that. Right. This is a very friendly system. This is a very friendly team for talented bigs. Now, the big obviously has to be able to do that stuff and has to be able to, like we just talked about with Kate, has to be able to grow into that role. But both of those guys have done a great job with that. I think Kate is defense, like, especially over the last little bit, has been really, really good. Like, strikingly good. You know, yesterday it really felt very. Again, striking. How different the Celtics were when he was on the floor. I mean, every time he stepped on the floor, it turned into the Celtics are kind of dominating this game. I think he was plus 30 in a game the Celtics won by. In a game the Celtics won by 14.

[John Corrales]

You know, it's like V was A minus 14.

[Tom]

That did happen.

[John Corrales]

Yeah.

[Tom]

Look, first game back.

[John Corrales]

But also he'll be better.

[Tom]

He will, probably. But Kada is really good. K. I mean, like. And I. I think a lot of that is, like you were saying is the defensive end. I think he's been really strong on that, and Cornette was, too. But I think that there is a level of, you know, Kate is just there, there. There's. God bless Luke Cornett right in the butterfly celebration. It does take away a little bit of the aura around the rim. You know, like, Kate has got some aura around the rim that way he's down there. It's like, I don't know if I want to toss this layup up. If I'm a. If I'm a. If I'm driving, I. I might be wrong because Luke Cornett, like, if. As the ball handler, I might be incorrect in thinking that I can attack Luke Cornett because Cornett was quite good on the defensive end. But I do drive with a little more confidence against Luke Cornett, I think, than I do against Kata, and I don't know, that probably matters to some degree.

[John Corrales]

So. Okay, just some of the advanced numbers here. Yeah, Luke Cornett's block percentage last year was 4.8. Mimi's is 5.3, which is better, but not like, not significantly, significantly better. Right. So his, his rebounding percentage is 18. Nem's is 18. Luke's was 15 and a half. So again, better by, you know, a decent margin. So he's, he is doing better. Also though, Cornette's usage rate was 11.4. So he was more of a ball mover.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

K is finishing a lot more and his usage rate is, is 14.7. So he has more kind of opportunities. Just a, a function of the system.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Where Luke, you didn't want Luke to shoot a lot. He was on the floor with Jalen and Jason and Derek and Peyton and Drew and all of those guys. Right. So Al Horford sometimes. So, yeah, he wasn't going to get as many, you know, he wasn't going to finish as many possessions. But the numbers, when you compare them are very kind of close. And Keita is having, like, Kate is having a great season. The only thing I'm gonna say here is that I, I, I do question, like, a little bit of the overreaction lately.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

People are talking about him being a, you know, a top ten center. Like. Okay, I, I don't know. Top ten. Top ten.

[Tom]

That's.

[John Corrales]

All right. Let's, let's just.

[Tom]

Yeah, that sounds optimistic.

[John Corrales]

Sounds right. So Jokic is number one, Wemby is number two. I'm. Okay. I'm filtering centers by points, total points scored.

[Tom]

All right.

[John Corrales]

This season. Okay.

[Tom]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Corrales]

Total points scored, centers this season. So I'm just going down the list now.

[Tom]

Julius Randall is, by the way, Wemby. Jokic is a fun one.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom]

Okay. Anyway, keep,

[John Corrales]

do we count Julius Randall? I'm not, I shouldn't count him. He's not really in that. Same. So Jokic, Wemby, Carl Anthony Towns, Shingoon, Bam. Out of Bio. That's five. Jalen Duran, all star, six. No. Right. Chet Holmgren, seven. Evan Mobley, eight. Okay. Yeah, so, so that's eight. And now we're getting to some interesting questions. And we have, by the way, this is total point scores. We haven't gotten to, like, if it's a Zubac.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Right. Yeah, that's nine. Zubac is better than, than Keda. Right. I don't think that's, we're not saying anything out of, out of turn here. Let's see. We haven't gotten to Anthony Davis where we can argue availability.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean? So that, that's, that's an argument. So, but he's not up There I

[Tom]

will say for the Celtics who. Who need their centers available, K has been better than Anthony Davis.

[John Corrales]

Totally get that. Totally get that. Yeah. Jared Jackson Jr. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's see. Derek Queen in New Orleans.

[Tom]

Fun.

[John Corrales]

Okay. Rookie, rookie playing great, by the way. So, I mean, I would.

[Tom]

I would for sure rather have Kada for this year's Celtics than. Than a. Than even a talented rookie. Although I guess if you're talking about the Celtics system and you put like a guy with Queens talents in that system for a year, I don't know.

[John Corrales]

I don't know.

[Tom]

I guess I would. I would take the bird in the hand, the Keda in the hand versus the. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Nas Reed. Okay. Nazri is an interesting one. I think it would take. I mean, come on. Nazride is good. Nazrid is really good.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Okay. You count Lowry Markin in as a center?

[Tom]

Sure. Yeah. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

You know, and ya, Aangu, this is where you start to get into the. He's in that class. Yeah, K is in this class with a. But you know what? That. That we're. We're down. I even lost count. 13, 14.

[Tom]

Yeah. The mid.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean? So Kada has been amazing. Amazing. But I also don't want to, like, go overboard with this. This kid is like all NBA and, you know, he's still averaging 10 points a game. Yeah, he's just having an amazing stretch and he's. He is exactly what the Celtics had hoped he would be. He is incredibly important to them in the playoffs. You need him to be this in the playoffs. If you're going to make a. The Celtics win a championship, it's because K is doing what he's been doing the last four games.

[Tom]

Also, if the Celtics win a championship, let's revisit this conversation because then he does jump a lot of these guys. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's a lot of these guys that he rises above. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Let's come back and talk about this because now we're talking about his ceiling.

[Tom]

Yeah, right.

[John Corrales]

And the system. Let's get into the system and the ceiling because I don't know, like, I want to talk this through. I'm not even. I'm not even settled on anything with this yet. Like, I want to talk this through. This is part of the discussion. We'll continue it when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by. Game time. There's nothing. Nothing like being in an NBA arena. I was at TD Garden. I'm at TD Garden. For all the home games. It's incredible in there. Crowd, the energy, it's awesome. Getting tickets can always be a little bit dicey, but Game Time gives you the advantage because it is a go to app for scoring tickets fast without the hassle you get on the Game Time app. Number one thing, when you see a price, that's the price you're going to pay. You're not going to see a price and say, okay, I like this. Then get to the checkout and say, where did all these fees come from? Upfront pricing. Right there on the Game Time app. The view from your seat. If you've never been in TD Garden, you don't know what the sections mean, then what's section 19? What am I going to see there? Open it up, you say, oh, okay. That's the corner view. It'll show you. And if you like the view from that section, you can do a zone deal where you pick the section and they'll pick the seats. You save a little bit there. It's great for last minute. It's super easy, quick, intuitive. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code locked on. You're going to get $20 off your first purchase. That's locked on. L O C K E d locked on for 20 off. Download the Gametime app today. And remember, if you're using the web, it's Gametime C.

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[John Corrales]

Oh, thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen. Every day you're in every day. Are you with me? Every Monday through Friday you're with me for five, six, seven, ten podcasts a week. Whatever it is. That means you probably want to be an everyday or club member. You get the show ad free on the everyday or club@lockdown celtics.supercast.com 5 bucks a month or 50 bucks for the year Ad free audio compatible with all major podcasting apps. Also access to our members only Discord server. So check it out. Locked on Celtics supercast.com All right, let's get back to this discussion. As I was saying before the break, I I'm bringing all these things up to introduce elements to the conversation. Because honestly, this is my, this is my M.O. when something gets too to out of like, woo, everybody's. I want to bring it back. I want to bring it back to reality. And when, when people aren't paying attention enough to something, I want to be like, hey, no, no, you're missing this. So I, I, I, this is my general reaction. The Kate has had four amazing games. He's playing out of his mind. And now comes the oh my God, better sign him now before somebody gives him $20 million. Like, whoa, we already did this with Josh Minot earlier this year. I'm not doing this again. He's better than Minot is. So let me be clear.

[Tom]

The system and, and the Celtics don't have as many Josh Minots as they, they don't have as many. Mimi Cadence had Josh Minots.

[John Corrales]

Yes. So I was doing like just a little poking through some of the stats here. Going through synergy filtered pick and roll Biggs, 75 possessions. So I call it a high volume pick and roll, man. Nemi points per possession 1.34. That's seventh among all centers. That's quite good, right? That's seventh. There's another Celtic center who is fifth, two spots higher than him. It's Luca Garza at 1.37, 1.373. So Luca Garza in pick and roll opportunities is scoring more than Namish K, which opens up the question of, well, wow, hey, this is like, again, Keda is awesome. I'm not taking anything away from him. But man, this system is really conducive to Biggs being great, isn't it? Because we saw it with Luke Cornette. We just talked about Luke. Luke is playing great. Luke played great last year. Nene's playing great. Luca Garza comes in and plays great. All of these centers come in and you're like, wow, man, they're really doing their job. If you come into this Celtic system, learn the reads, learn what you're supposed to do. Yeah, you're playing with elite, elite elite wings. Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum, Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, who can see the floor. Well, of course, of course. When it comes to being a person, like, you got to learn how to set the picks, which Kata does better than anybody else on the team right now. But Luke is right there too. We talked about Luca Garza. Awesome. If you're big that knows how to set a screen and knows what to do after you set the screen, then guess what? Tatum and, and Brown and White, those. They're going to find you and you just have to be good enough to finish that play. So part of all of this is the system is really conducive if like it's fertile ground. When you plant a big in this soil, it will sprout, it will grow and it'll become a big, big beautiful tree.

[Tom]

Yeah, yeah. I, I mean I do, I think there's a lot to that. I, I also think that, you know, one of the, when you were bringing up guys earlier, right, you bring up a Nas Reed. I, the thing that a Nas read that that would make me just kind of be like, okay, hang on, hang on. Let's pump the brakes. I, I think I might want the Keda is because I know that Kate is. I know that Keda has learned how to set those screens. And I think you take, you take a big. Who can really, who really understands the timing and, and the in the reads within a, within a pick and roll, who knows how to, how to, how to time it, when to set it, when to hold all that stuff. You take that guy and put him on any NBA team, he's going to help that team, right? And so I think one of the things that's really important here when you talk about the Celtics system is it's a two way street, right? You come into the Celtic system and the Celtic system is going to help you grow into a better big and then you're a better big, you know, and then you're, then you're Luke Cornett and you know, you were playing in Westchester before you, before you played for the Celtics. You come out of the Celtics and you get a 40 million dollar deal, right? And that, and that isn't just because the Celtics made you look good. The Celtics helped you get better. And I think that's what's happening with Kata. And that's why, you know, before we went to the break, it's like if the Celtics do win a championship this year, I mean, look, I, I think that, I think you do start to elevate Keda above some of these guys because he has, because he's become this winning player. If there's so many teams, right, who have all these, who have like talented guards, all this stuff, to have a big. Who who knows how to play a really good role player, Big role. Right? There's a lot of ways we've used the word role so many times on this podcast in so many different ways. If you have a le. Yes. This time we're not talking about the pick and roll. If you have a big. Who knows how to be a big and play as a role player and play that, play that so well, like Kata does. That guy is so valuable because he's not going to try to do too much. He's not gonna. He's just gonna do the smart things. That's. That's how Luke Cornett made $40 million is. He just went out there and did really solid big man things and just, you know, profited and his teams profited from him doing that. And I absolutely could see Keda following the same route. Right. Just. Yeah, I just, I show up, I do good, smart, big man things. I. I play my role correctly and in doing so, I help my team, and my team gives me a heck of a lot of money for however many years I'm out there like that. That feels very doable for him to me.

[John Corrales]

I think. I think the way you put it is. The perfect way to look at this, is that it's not just that the system makes you look good, the system makes you good. That's. That's the best way to put it. Because he. You. It's not just plug and play and like, I could go out there, right? Like, no, you have to be good at it to do it. But when you get good at really works out for you because of the guys, Tatum and Brown and White especially those guys are going to find you if you're in the right place. And we, we saw a play last night where Vuch was not in the right place and became a turnover. And it's Jalen Brown's turnover, but it was Vucovic's fault.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And so if you're not in the right place, you're not going to. So again, back to Luca Garza. Good screener, hard worker, gonna get to the right place. And guess what? He. When he plays, he benefits. And we talk about Garza being a really good backup big and somebody that you might want to keep around. Yeah, you're right. When you, when you do all the good things and learn how to be good at this job, you're going to be really good at it. On the Boston Celtics. So this brings me to the go ahead.

[Tom]

And you got to be willing to do it. Like, I don't think that this Celtic system could have turned Hassan Whiteside into a good player. You know what I mean? Like, you have to. That's an extreme example, but you also have to be willing. You have to be willing to do the work and do it right and do it right every time. Because if you don't. Then. You don't. Then, you know, then Jalen does throw it away, and it looks like it's his fault. And if then. And then Jalen gets embarrassed because he threw it away, but it wasn't his. It wasn't Jalen's fault. You know what I mean? So, like, if that happens a lot over the course of a year, that becomes a problem.

[John Corrales]

Right. Right. God. Hassan Whiteside might be my least favorite NBA player.

[Tom]

As I said it. I was like, I'm about to trigger Corrales.

[John Corrales]

Oh, man. Geez. I am triggered so bad. All right, we gotta wrap up the show with the, the question of the ceiling. And this is the other thing here, because again, I'm bringing up the questions not to say anything other than I, I do want to explore all of this stuff. I think Kada is great. I've, I'm on record. He has been amazing, and I'm, I

[Tom]

couldn't this year, that's for sure.

[John Corrales]

I couldn't be more impressed. Yeah, I, I had, I had an opinion of him at the beginning of the year.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And he's gradually made it look worse and worse and worse and worse, you know, and, and that's, and that's totally fine with me. I'm cool with that. I, I, I hope, I hope to be wrong like that about players. I don't want to sit there and be like, oh, this guy. I don't know. I want these guys to be good, good for him. He's put in a lot of work. He's put in this dedication. It's. It's paying off for him. Good. This is good. I, if I sit there and be like, ah, Kralis, you were wrong. Like, good. Yeah, great. I'm happy to be. I'd rather be wrong about that than be way out on a limb on Ugo Gonzalez and be wrong about Ugo.

[Tom]

Yeah, it's gonna be a tough look for you if he doesn't pan out.

[John Corrales]

If he doesn't. If that doesn't work out for me, then I'm gonna look like a. As I censor myself, I don't think so. I still stand by it, but 100. But that's sometimes. Sometimes. Anyway, never mind. Neemi is 26. He's going to be 27 to start next season, which means he's in his prime. But one thing I do want to say is I feel like people talk about him like he's 22 or 23, and we talk about his ceiling, and always he's. He's. Can be so much better. Yes, he, he can be better because there's, there's definitely room for improvement. Also, 27 years old is, is you're smacking your athletic prime, how much better is he going to get? This is, this is typically the best that he's going to be, and so he definitely has room to improve and be better. But I am curious about the ceiling discussion because 28, 29, 30, as a big in this league, the more you're asked to do, you're asked to do a ton. Being a big man in the NBA has never been more difficult. With all the places you have to be and all the things you have to be aware of, it's a difficult position to play. So I honestly, I don't know what his ceiling is going to be. Is it a top 10 center? Is it, is it gonna, is this the best we're gonna see? Is he, Is he. How much more improvement is there for him to make? Like, what, what can he improve at this point?

[Tom]

It's a good question. I mean, I think I don't want to go too long here, but I, I, I think, I guess the, the summit. To sum it up, I, I think that he, I, I, I think that what, what it comes down to now is sharpening, right? Because, you know, when Jalen was, when Jalen was 27, it's like, man, like, how much better can he realistically get? Because, you know, the athleticism isn't always going to be there. And here he is at 29, and it's like he has sharpened everything so much that he's just an incredible player, right? And I think that for Keda, that's what you hope for now, right, is like, that he just keeps sharpening everything because, you know, I mean, he's always going to be big, right? He's always going to have the size. So now it just comes down to, like, how well you use that. And I think you're 100% right that people, I think people still think he's 22 and he's not. But I also think it is worth noting that this is his first real rotational season, right? So there's a lot of sharpening that can still happen. And that's, you know, that's an encouraging thing. I don't think it, I don't know that that means that he's got, I don't think he's got, like, superstar potential, you know, Prove me wrong, Mimi. I mean, you've done it all year,

[John Corrales]

so prove me wrong.

[Tom]

Feel free. But I Do think that he can get way. I mean, you know, you talk about Azubots, right? Like talk about a player like him. You know, like that to me is like that's, that's not out of reach for Neemi. That kind of player. That like really solid big man who plays really well on both ends and ends up making a lot of money. Like I, that feels like that's in reach to me for him.

[John Corrales]

I, I listen, I do think that Nene can. There, there is the potential for him to reach a completely different level here. And so I'm, I'm. I raised the question not to, not to sit there and say there is nowhere for him to go. Yeah, yeah, I raise the questions. I don't know. What, what can he be? What, what can he be? What can he be on this Celtics team? What do they need him to be? And you know, there are a lot of factors here. You know he's going to be playing for a contract. I don't know. I don't know what the extension situation is going to be or what when they can. But if he, I said recently somebody, somebody should like get him in with Hakeem Olajuwon and if you, if, if he can learn a, a solid post move and a counter to that post move from Akeem Olajuwon, then that really, really improves him. If he can, if he can develop that three point shot which actually looks pretty good. I, I don't know. He took that shot the other day and I'm like. And I've seen him, I've seen him warming up. I've stood next to him on the court and he's shooting the threes and I'm like, damn, this dude. That's actually like, I think that looks, it looks better than a lot of guys who have shot a lot of threes in the NBA. So maybe he can add a jumper. Maybe he can add a three point shot, a pick and pop like Nemi with a pick and pop every once in a while and a, a reliable post move offensively. Maybe, maybe we are talking about a guy who can average 15 to 17 points a game regularly. That and then you add in the defense where I think he's already at a really good defensive level. He. A couple of little things like you said, sharpening. But you take his defense now with a couple of added offensive weapons. I don't know. Maybe he is, maybe he is an all Star. I don't know. I would say right now I don't think he will reach an all Star.

[Tom]

Level.

[John Corrales]

But also I'm not going to say he can't. I'm not going to say he won't. If I had to guess, if I had to put money, if I had to open up my FanDuel app and say, will Namish K to be an All Star? My money would go on. No, but I might lose that bet. I might lose that bet. I'm not 100 confident in that bet. So what? I don't know what his ceiling is. I really don't. It can be, this could be it. This could be it. And if it is, that would be fine because he'll make a lot of money being exactly this guy right now for, I don't know, six more years. Let's say we'll give him till 33, 30. You know, if he's this guy for six more years, he'll make, I don't know, $50 million or $60 million or somewhere in that range, maybe, whatever it is, more money than anybody thought that he would make. He could add stuff and get better. So the, the ceiling question is, I think, an open ended one because, and I'll wrap it up with this, I think Namish K has been incredible all year. I think he's, he's done great. I think there might be a little bit of an overreaction to some of the stuff he's done recently, but that's fine. Go have your irrational fun Celtics fans. Like, that's, that's part of being a fan. But I, I do think there's, there's room to grow. I. But where he goes from here is, is, is going to be really interesting to watch. I, I don't know what to expect and I'm, I'm not going to put a ceiling on him either. I'm. Any. Nothing is going to surprise me with Keda. So if this could be it, it could be great. I don't know. But I'm, I'm fascinated by the whole journey.

[Tom]

Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

[John Corrales]

All right, that'll do it. Tom. Thank you. Thank you for helping me.

[Tom]

Appreciate you.

[John Corrales]

I appreciate you too. Again, like, I, I'm trying to be super clear on this because this is. I want to talk this out and figure this out because every time you bring up a question, somebody has an answer, you go, okay, that's actually a good point. And we can kind of figure this out together. So share your thoughts in the comments. I am not saying anything negative about Nimiuskeda. I think he's been great, continues to be great, and will be great. And I'm so pleasantly surprised. Never been happier to be wrong about a player. So share your thoughts in the comments section. I really want to hear this discussion where it goes, or read this discussion of where it goes. But also, hey, if you see me in the TD garden or something like that, feel free to strike up the conversation too. I'll be willing to have it. Thank you for subscribing. Thank you for being an everydayer.

[Tom]

Thank you.

[John Corrales]

Thank you for sharing the podcast and telling everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics Podcast. Here on the Lockdown Podcast Network is your team every day.

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[John Corrales]

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[Ross Jackson]

Hey everyone, this is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network. If your group chat's been a little quiet lately, I want to invite you to come and join ours. If you sign up for the Everydayer Club, you get access to the members only group chats for your friends, favorite teams, plus national chats for every sport. Personally, I love watching folks talk a little smack in the NFC South Trash talk chat. You also get an ad free version of your favorite Locked on show and a whole lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes.