It was no secret, preseason, that the Celtics’ biggest worry was crashing the boards.
Now, it feels as if the Celtics own the glass on both sides of the court.
The starting center position felt like a flip of a coin heading into the 2025 season. It was uncertain if we would see Neemias Queta finally earn the job. Or would free agent Luka Garza emerge as the candidate after training camp? Either way, the general sentiment was not optimistic.
Both players were inexperienced and never had a season with over 15 minutes played per game. An acquisition of some sort felt imminent, with veteran Nikola Vucevic expected in February.
How would they manage the glass in the meantime without Jayson Tatum, a perennial 9 rebounds per game star?
The answer has been an energetic bench unit that has thrived in recent weeks, and a coaching masterclass.
One thing has become clear this year: Brad Stevens has an obsession with players with absurd wingspans. 2025 1st round pick Hugo Gonzalez stands at 6’6 with a 7′ wingspan. Jordan Walsh has a freakish 7’3 reach. The only recent draftee without an impressive wingspan is Creighton product Baylor Scheierman. However, he has still managed 3 rebounds per game on 15 minutes played per game, and has doubled his average in the last 10 games as of February 26th. Garza has dominated on the offensive boards, averaging 2.3 a game on a career high 15.6 minutes this season. The bench unit has had multiple games in which it has taken over and single-handedly led the team in green to victory; recently, a 50-11 3rd-quarter run led by veterans Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard over the Phoenix Suns ended with a +27-rebound differential.
Credit: Boston Celtics-FacebookPost the deadline, Garza has moved into a more limited role with the addition of Vucevic. At 35 years old, Vucevic is playing just as well as ever: through 7 games, he is averaging 8 boards, 2 of those coming on the offensive side. This, combined with his deadly footwork and incredible court vision, has made him a threat in the restricted area. His value lies in the flexibility of the offense Mazzulla can install. He is a true stretch big with a decade more experience than Garza. Mazzulla can return to a true five-out offense that led the Celtics to a championship two seasons ago. With recent lineup changes, Pritchard moved to the bench, and Scheierman was promoted to the starting shooting guard. While it is expected that Jayson Tatum will make his return this season, this will push Scheierman back to the bench.
The starting five for the Celtics this year took a while to finalize mid-season, but they were also crashing the glass. Neemias Queta has had a breakout season, averaging 8.3 rebounds, 3 of those on the offensive side, which is 15th best in the league. While we can chalk a couple of those up to him catching his own misses under the basket, his impact has been undeniable. While still a raw player, his long reach and immense strength have allowed him to create opportunities around the basket and continue to be a lob threat. Leading scorer Jaylen Brown is no slouch on the boards either; the MVP hopeful is averaging a career high of 7 rebounds. This is without mentioning the always reliable Derrick White.
The Celtics had an incredible February: 1st in rebounds. This comes after a horrid first two months in the bottom 20% of the league.
Now, they sit at 5th this season.
There is only one man to blame for this revelation, and that’s Joe Mazzulla. The eye test works just fine when examining how his team has operated. Every player crashes the boards or scrambles for a rogue shot, which was uncharacteristic for the October version of this squad. This is a team-wide effort, not simply a breakout year for Queta or an MVP-worthy season for Brown. Mazzulla has emphasized “the margins”: avoiding turnovers and securing as many rebounds as possible.
It comes down, simply, to the fact that players listen to and respect Joe Mazzulla, as evidenced by the consistent presence of hands off a missed shot. 6 feet tall, Pritchard averages an offensive rebound a game. It takes a special coach to get this much effort and value out of his players.
If this doesn’t make him Coach of the Year, I don’t know what does.
