Joe Mazzulla Praises Bench Player As Celtics Asset Following Blowout Win

The Boston Celtics closed out their four-game road trip with a 30-point trouncing of the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

With Jaylen Brown sidelined for the second straight game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla turned to Neemias Queta for the start alongside fellow big Al Horford.

The big man delivered with 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal and a block across 23 minutes for the Celtics against the Hawks.

“He’s just grown as a player. He doesn’t know how good he can be,” Mazzulla told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “He’s got a great ceiling, so the standard’s very high. I think he did some great things for us today. But, when you’re as good as he could be, we all got to hold him to that standard every single night.”

Queta has played in six of the Celtics’ seven games this season, averaging five points in just over 12 minutes of action. Mazzulla continued to praise the 25-year-old bench player.

“It’s a credit to him for just allowing us to coach him. It’s a credit to the guys for supporting him,” Mazzulla explained. “But you see what he’s capable of when he’s at his best, and he can be a real asset for us. He works really hard. He cares. He wants to be coached. … I’m grateful he allows me to coach him. But, he’s starting to realize how good he really can be and he’s working at it.”

Last season, Queta averaged 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds across 28 games for the Celtics. With Kirstaps Porzingis sidelined for at least the remainder of the month, Queta could see more playing time if he continues to perform like he did against the Hawks.