The Answer to the Boston Celtics Center Rotation, and Other Thoughts After 9 Games

The Boston Celtics are 7-2 and following the formula for a spectacular season: win your home games, split your road games, and flirt with 60 wins. Boston is 5-0 at home and 2-2 away, with road games against the Bucks and Sixers coming up. Chances are they won’t keep up a 64-win pace, but they're off to a great start while not playing their best basketball.

Here are four thoughts as the Celtics head into the tenth game of the season tonight.

Neemias Queta is the starting center

I came into the season thinking Mitchell Robinson should be the starter for a variety of reasons, but none of them have played out so far. Queta is more nimble, more mobile, and more comfortable with everything the Celtics are trying to do. Most importantly, the data is pretty clear that the Queta pairs better with Jayson Tatum.

Through eight games, the Queta and Tatum pairing is +54 while Tatum and Robinson are -21. Usually, +/- data includes a lot of noise this early in the season, and that still could be true, but Queta’s pairing has outplayed Robinson’s in every game they’ve both played.

Game	Tatum+Queta	Tatum+Robinson
10/20 @ DET	58–52 (+6)	22–24 (−2)
10/23 vs NYK	54–53 (+1)	23–25 (−2)
10/26 vs CHI	38–26 (+12)	25–22 (+3)
10/27 vs BKN	29–29 (0)	40–54 (−14)
10/30 vs CHI	50–36 (+14)	30–33 (−3)
11/1 @ ORL	46–47 (−1)	Robinson didn’t play
11/2 @ HOU	44–35 (+9)	11–24 (−13)
11/6 @ CHA	33–20 (+13)	27–17 (+10)
Total	352–298 (+54)	178–199 (−21)

Joe Mazzulla has advocated for time to allow Robinson to figure things out, and he’s right. But that time should come off the bench at this point. Queta allows the Celtics offense to flow in a way Robinson can’t reach yet, without any drop off in rim protection and overall defense.

I didn’t think it would take Robinson this long to catch on, but the Celtics ask their centers to do a lot. The learning curve is bigger than I realized. Queta gives them the best chance to get off to good starts. In addition to that, Luka Garza has been great so far, which allows the Celtics to fill in whatever gaps in minutes might exist. The formula with Queta starting makes too much sense.

This should free up others

The centers are key to everything in Boston’s offense, so I think fixing that situation will have a ripple effect on everyone. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have started off slow, but working with Queta and Robinson in these new roles could be the shakeup that gets them better looks in more comfortable spots.

I think getting into a good rhythm early will be the key to getting shooting percentages more in line with expectations.

Maybe Sam Hauser should be the fifth starter

We have seen Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez get the nod so far this season, specifically to guard the other team’s best player. And that has a lot of value, which I’m not going to discount.

At the same time, neither has established themselves as a consistent offensive threat. Right now, this season is essentially an extension of last season, with no noticeable advances in their games. Of course, we can argue that they aren’t getting enough minutes to show anything, and it’s their roles, not their games, that are exactly the same. Still, neither has shown the type of three-point accuracy needed to draw defenders.

Hauser has. He’s been hitting shots consistently and he’s the only rotation player without a turnover this season. If we’re talking about best fives, Hauser could be part of the best of the best.

I'm intrigued pic.twitter.com/2pbPTzBw3e
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) November 7, 2026

Twelve minutes is nothing, so like everything else at this point of the season, it’s just a “wondering out loud” kind of thing. But it’s worth a look. Just keep an eye out for this group whenever it pops up and see how it does.

Derrick White needs to up the aggression

Poor Coby White.

pic.twitter.com/TnL9NPnluB
— John Karalis (@JohnKaralisClip) November 8, 2026

That's the kind of aggression Derrick White needs to show more often. This play is especially notable because both Paul George and Jayson Tatum are on the floor. Instead of deferring to them, especially in the face of stellar defense, he created an opening for himself, found an opening, and drew the and-one.

That's the DWhite the Celtics need more often. It’s not just about finding his shot, either. This kind of aggression draws defenses, makes people react, and gets people to forget about their defensive assignments, even if that assignment is Tatum or George.

White will put himself last to get his teammates going, but he’s one of the guys who needs to get going. He might be the second-most important player on the team just because of the amount of minutes he’ll get and how much he has the ball in his hands. He needs to play like he understands that.

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