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Taylor Snow

The Boston Celtics filled their third and final two-way roster spot this week by signing 7-foot center Neemias Queta. The 24-year-old Portugal native has made history in numerous ways throughout his basketball career, so let’s get to know him more before he hits the floor for Boston and Maine this coming season.

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Five Facts: Neemias Queta

The 2023-24 Celtics season is nearly upon us, and with a new campaign comes plenty of individual milestones that are on the horizon.

Below we have singled out seven of Boston's vets, while highlighting two major upcoming statistical achievements apiece along with projections of when you can expect them to hit their various milestones.

14,000th point– Sixteen seasons deep and still going strong, Al Horford finds himself atop the scoring leaderboard among current Celtics players and at 13,605 career points. The 37-year-old center is projected this season to join the 14,000-point club, of which only 24 other active players are a member. It’s hard to say exactly when Horford will hit the 14K mark, given the team's frontcourt shakeup along with the probability that he’ll be given occasional rest days, but if he can average somewhere between 8.0 and 9.5 points per game (he averaged 9.8 last season), he should be able to produce 395 points in about 41-50 games.

800th 3-point make – Horford has a few 3-point milestones ahead of him this season, as he continues to rise as a long-distance marksman. He currently sits 46 3-pointers away from his 800th career make and is also just 10 away from 500 in a Celtics uniform. On top of that, he’s 31 triples from passing Avery Bradley into eighth place on the team’s all-time list and 60 away from Larry Bird in seventh. Horford made a career-high 2.3 long-distance shots per game last season at the second-best clip in the league (44.6 percent). If he can make somewhere around 1.5 to 2.0 treys per game, he should be able to hit 800 in around 23-30 games and 500 in a Celtics uniform in about 6-10 games. And he should be passing Larry Legend in about 30-40 games, just before hitting the 14,000-point mark.

2,000th assist – Malcolm Brogdon has an opportunity to have more of a playmaking role this season after the departure of Marcus Smart, meaning we could see his 3.7 assists per game climb closer to his 4.6 career average. The eighth-year combo guard currently has 1,844 assists to his name. If he can average somewhere in the 4.0-4.5 range, he should be able to dish out 156 helpers in about 35-39 games.

1,000th free-throw make – Although he’s one of the most reliable free-throw shooters from a conversion standpoint, Brogdon doesn’t get to the line a tremendous amount. Last season he earned 2.7 free-throw attempts per game, matching his career average exactly. Still, he’s on pace to hit the 1,000 mark in the makes category, as he sits just 53 away. If he can get to the line around three times per game, he should reach 1K in about 18-22 games.

1,000th 3-point make – Jaylen Brown is on track for a major 3-point milestone this season, as he will likely become just the third Celtic to make 1,000 shots from long distance, joining Paul Pierce and Jayson Tatum. Brown currently has 883 career triples, meaning he’s just 117 away. If he can maintain his recent make rate of 2.5 per game (he made an average of 2.4 last season and 2.5 the season before), he should hit the 1K mark in about 45-50 games. Along the way, he’ll pass Marcus Smart (911 3-point makes) and Antoine Walker (925 3-point makes).

500th steal – Brown is also knocking at the door of a defensive milestone, being just 44 steals away from 500. If JB can average 1.1-1.2 steals per game, just as he’s done in each of the past four seasons, he should make it halfway to 1,000 in about 37-40 games.

8,000th point – Fairly early in his first Celtics season, Kristaps Porzingis should be hitting the 8,000-point mark, needing just 124 points to do so. Porzingis’ scoring production likely won’t be as high as it was last season as Washington’s leading scorer (23.2 PPG), but even if he averages 18-20 PPG, he should reach 8K in about seven games. Based on a similar trajectory, he would also reach the 9,000-point mark about 57-63 games into the season.

800th 3-point make – Porzingis has an opportunity to make history this season by becoming the first player in NBA history who is more than seven feet tall to make 800 career 3-pointers (four others at exactly seven feet have accomplished the feat). He needs 63 triples to hit the mark, which would take him about 32-42 games if he can average 1.5-2.0 3-point makes per game (he’s averaged 1.8 per game for his career, including 2.1 last season).

10,000th point – Jayson Tatum has a major career milestone that he should be reaching just a couple of weeks into the season, as he is just 135 points away from 10,000. It shouldn’t take the league’s reigning scoring leader (total points) much time to hit that mark; if he averages 30 PPG like he did last season, he’d reach it by Game 5. By that time, he’d be about 24 years, eight months old, which would make him the 10th-youngest player to join the 10,000-point club in NBA history.

3,000th defensive rebound – Tatum’s rebounding flew somewhat under the radar last season, especially on the defensive end. He grabbed 571 defensive boards, which ranked first among non-bigs and eighth overall. At that rate, he should easily surpass 3,000 career defensive rebounds, as he needs just 328 to do so.  Even if his rate drops a bit due to the added frontcourt presence of Kristaps Porzingis, Tatum should reach the mark roughly 50 games into the season, which would make him just the seventh player in franchise history to reach 3,000. Along the way, he’ll pass Kevin Garnett, who grabbed 2,786 during his Celtics tenure.

500th 3-point make – Derrick White is coming off by far his most prolific shooting season after making 149 3-pointers at a 38.1 percent clip (both career highs). All he needs is 17 more makes to reach the 500 mark, which would also place him at 200 for his Celtics career. We’re estimating that White should hit those milestones about 9-12 games into the season, as he looks to continue his rise as a long-distance threat.

300th block – The best shot-blocking guard in the league is approaching the 300 mark for his career, needing just 21 blocks to get there. That shouldn’t be a problem after the All-Defense guard blocked 76 shots last season; in fact, he could reach 350 by the end of the season if he picks up where he left off. White’s average came out to 0.9 blocks per game last season, so if he averages an even 1.0 BPG, he should reach the 300 mark around his 21st game.

400th block – Rob Williams is on pace to hit a block milestone as well, nearing 400 for his career. He’s a bit further away from the four-century mark than White is from the three-century mark, as he needs 52 to get there. But as the best shot-blocker on the team, it shouldn’t take him long. If Williams averages somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 blocks per game, he should reach 400 after about 26-35 games.

300th assist – While 300 assists isn’t a significant mark for a ball handler, it is for a big man, especially for someone like Williams who wasn’t much of a distributor toward the beginning of his career. It's likely that he’ll hit that milestone in the very first game of the season since he only needs one to get there. During Williams’ earlier days, it may have taken him a few games to get an assist, as he totaled just seven during his rookie year and 27 during his sophomore season. However, he’s improved drastically as a passer over the past three years, all while being utilized more often as a passer, which increased his total assists to 134 in 61 games this past season. Look for Williams to hit the 300 mark right off the bat this season before possibly reaching 400 in the spring.   

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Milestones to Watch for in 2023-24

The Boston Celtics continued to fill out their roster last week with the signing of veteran sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk. The 6-foot-7 Ukranian wing brings five years of NBA experience to Boston and is coming off his most efficient season thus far after shooting 42.4 percent from 3 while representing New York and Charlotte.

As the 26-year-old gets ready for his first season in green, let's take a look back at his Top 5 career performances to date.

Just seven games into his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mykhailiuk produced a monster effort against the Toronto Raptors which included the second-best scoring effort of his career (at the time), a career-high in rebounds, and a career-high-tying mark in the blocks department. Acquired at the trade deadline one week prior, the third-year wing earned his second straight start with the Thunder and did not disappoint. Mykhailiuk shot 9-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, in his highest-scoring effort in 14 months. He scored 10 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, fueling OKC to a 113-103 come-from-behind win. His nine boards contributed to a 64-35 rebounding advantage for OKC, and he added two blocks for good measure. Mykhailiuk nearly mirrored the effort three weeks later with a 20-point, nine-rebound performance at Indiana.  

Mykhailiuk has already had some success in his new home arena, most notably on Jan. 15, 2020, at TD Garden. Detroit's sophomore sharpshooter logged a then-career-high 21 points while making a still-standing career-high five 3-pointers. The Celtics weren’t just leaving him wide-open; Mykhailiuk was hitting shots off-balance, through contact, and in stepback fashion. He even canned a three-quarter-court buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter. On top of that, he handed out five assists and was turnover-free in nearly 30 minutes of action while leading the Pistons to a 116-103 win.  At least the Celtics no longer have to worry about being on the receiving end of one of such performances.

The best playmaking performance and most well-rounded overall effort of Mykhailiuk's career came toward the end of last season, and it also came against his former Thunder team. He stuffed the stat sheet for Charlotte with 18 points, a career-high eight assists, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots in a thrilling, 137-134 win. Mykhailiuk went into distribution mode to help set up P.J. Washington for the best game of his career: a 43-point performance on 16-of-24 shooting from the field. Mykhailiuk was perfect in his facilitating, boasting an 8:0 assist-to-turnover ratio in over 36 minutes of action.

Just three days after producing his first 20-point effort – that game in Boston – Mykhailiuk logged his first-ever 25-point outing, this time in Atlanta. He was nearly perfect in the shooting department, making 4-of-4 from inside the arc, 5-of-7 from outside the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Generating nearly a point per minute off the bench, Mykhailiuk led the Pistons to a 136-103 drubbing of the Hawks. Those 46 total points on a combined 15-of-20 shooting against Boston and Atlanta are the most he's had over a two-game stretch in his career.

At this moment, Mykhailiuk is only four games removed from the highest-scoring effort of his career. On April 2, he poured in a team-high 26 points against the Raptors while shooting 10-of-17 from the field and matching his career high in 3-point makes with a 5-of-9 performance. Mykhailiuk also grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, and snagged two steals in over 33 minutes of action. The only negative was that his team was at the receiving end of a 20-point loss to the Raptors. Mykhailiuk was the only Hornets starter to score more than 15 points and they were outscored by 31 when he wasn’t on the floor. It was one of several strong outings he had toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign, which included a 25-point performance in Charlotte's penultimate game against Houston.

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Svi Mykhailiuk's Top 5 Career Performances

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens sat down with WEEI’s Adam Jones and Meghan Ottolini Tuesday afternoon as part of the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund radio telethon to raise money for cancer research and care. During his appearance, Stevens spoke on a variety of subjects leading into the 2023-24 NBA season.

Among the noteworthy topics, Stevens touched on the championship-chasing mindset from an executive’s perspective, the opportunities for leadership growth within the locker room this coming season, and Kristaps Porzingis’ health heading into training camp.

The Celtics have been knocking on the championship door for several seasons now, and while there has been some level of frustration in coming up short, each journey has provided insight on how to improve and take a step closer to their ultimate goal.

At the end of the day, knocking on the door of winning a title is a far better position to be in than down the hall and around the corner, which Stevens recognizes as he takes a step back and sees how far the organization has come since he first joined the team as its head coach 10 summers ago.

“I always try to keep in perspective that when you’re playing late it’s not all bad,” Stevens said “You know, the first year I got here we had traded (Paul) Pierce and (Kevin) Garnett. We won 25 games and we lost 57. Fifty-seven losses in one year when you’re a coach or a player is hell. I think I’ve gotten a better perspective after the come-close years. But it’s still, when you’re knocking on that door, is get through it and make sure you’re doing everything you can to put yourself in a position to do that.”

In order to get through the proverbial door, difficult decisions have to be made. Some of those tough choices have included the tradings of the ultimate teammate in Kemba Walker, and most recently, the quintessential Celtic in Marcus Smart.

It’s not an easy business, but each decision Stevens makes is with the next banner in mind. Those decisions have led to the construction of a championship-level team on paper.

Now it’s up to the names on that paper to get the job done.

“The trades and the transactions and all those things are hard because those are emotional moments with people that you know and that you’ve spent a lot of time with and that you’re really fond of,” said Stevens. “But ultimately our job is to chase banners and that’s what we’re trying to do.

"We think this team will be in the mix again. But being in the mix is only part of it. You’ve got to be able to play your best when your best is needed. I think we had a couple of bad weeks last year and the worst one was in May (leading to a 0-3 start to the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami). We just can’t let that happen if we’re gonna be what we want to be.”

In order to get to where they want to be, the Celtics will need certain players to step up in the leadership department to help fill the void left by Smart’s departure. Stevens is counting on his stars – Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum – to be among the team's standout vocal leaders this coming season.

“I think our locker room – we’ve been chock-full of a lot of quality people for a long time, and that (trade of Smart) gives other people a voice,” Stevens said. “It gives other people a voice to step into and step up to. Very obviously, we need Jayson and Jaylen to grow in that area, and we think they’re among the best that can be, so we need them to step up to that. But other people will have an opportunity to do so too. Anytime you’ve had someone that’s played such a big role and has such a big personality (such as Smart), then there are opportunities for others to step into that.”

Another player who will have an opportunity to step into a leadership role is the All-Star caliber player that Boston received in exchange for Smart. Kristaps Porzingis is champing at the bit to finally experience a deep postseason run and is hoping to build off what was the best season of his career in 2022-23.

“Kristaps seems to be in a really good place,” Stevens said. “He’s focused on what matters. He’s coming here to do his part to help us win and that’s what’s was very clear in communicating with him when he came for his (introductory) press conference.”

The 28-year-old big man is currently dealing with one minor obstacle, as he's recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Stevens and the team's medical staff, however, are optimistic that it shouldn’t be much of a setback at all by the time training camp rolls around.

Porzingis is currently rehabbing with the Latvian national team while cheering on his fellow countrymen in the FIBA World Cup. Although he’s disappointed that he can’t participate in the tournament, Stevens says the big man understands the importance of being ready for the start of the season, for which he is on track.

“He really tried to ramp up and play and (was) just determined, ‘I don’t want to deal with lingering effects down the road,’” relayed Stevens, who recalled dealing with a brief bout with plantar fasciitis during his college playing days. “This is something we should be able to navigate and manage within the next few weeks and be ready for Training Camp. So we’re planning on having him Day 1 of Training Camp.

"He really wanted to try to ramp up because it really mattered to be there. Like, I don’t know if you saw the clip of him the other day when Latvia won and he’s kind of behind the bench. They beat France – it was a huge win, probably the biggest win they’ve had in a while – and just the genuine joy and emotion, like those guys that represent their countries, they really enjoy that opportunity so he was heartbroken not to do it. But he saw the opportunity here and took away any chance of having lingering effects by addressing it now, and it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

The Celtics are just one month away from putting their offseason preparations to the test with Training Camp set to begin the first week of October. They’ll look to the Jays to lead the charge, they’ll implement Porzingis’ elite frontcourt presence into their system, and hopefully all of the team’s decisions and sacrifices will lead them past the knocking stage and straight through that championship door.

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Stevens Talks All Things Celtics During Radio Appearance for the Jimmy Fund

The Boston Celtics made one of the most noteworthy trades of the offseason in late June when they landed All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 7-foot-3 “Unicorn” has the potential to give the Celtics a substantial boost on both ends of the court and hopes to be the missing piece to their championship puzzle.

Porzingis is currently recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot and is expected to be fully healthy by the start of training camp. In the meantime, let’s get to know Boston’s new frontcourt addition with these five facts:

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Five Facts: Kristaps Porzingis

Marc D'Amico

This upcoming season, maybe more than ever, fun matchups can slip through the cracks. The reasons for this phenomenon of underrated games are twofold.

First and foremost, the NBA has been blessed with its highest level of parity in recent memory, with at least a dozen teams that could conceivably make a run toward a title if they click and remain healthy. Secondly, the NBA also added a new in-season tournament that has shifted each team’s typical schedule a bit. The tournament has also added a week of “TBD” games to each team’s calendar.

With this information in mind, it’s reasonable for a few legit games to have flown under the radar. That’s why we pulled a handful (and then some) of our most underrated games on the schedule and highlighted each below to make sure they, too, are circled on your calendar.

A Friday night game that’s extra meaningful because it’s the first-ever In-Season Tournament game for either team. Don’t overlook the Nets, particularly at the defensive end. They can deploy a lineup that consists of Ben Simmons, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton, which might just be one of the best and most versatile defensive lineups in all of the NBA. This team is gonna be a pain to play against, especially if Simmons has a resurgence to his old form.

Boston went 1-3 against the Magic last season and now faces Orlando twice in three days, first on a Friday night, and then on a Sunday afternoon. Many people forget that Orlando played above the .500 mark over the final four-plus months of last season. They have the reigning Rookie of the Year in Paolo Banchero and a ton of young talent around him with the likes of Markelle Fultz, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony and rookie Anthony Black.

This game will be Boston’s first at home in 11 days. Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in 2021, will be back from injury after missing the final five months of last season. He played well for the USA Select Team in preparation for the World Cup, and he’s going to be surrounded by four other lottery picks in Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and Ausar Thompson, as well as effective big man Isaiah Stewart. With Monty Williams on board as the new head coach, Detroit is primed to return to relevance.

One word: Wemby. The No. 1 overall pick who is touted to be the best prospect since LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, makes his TD Garden debut on this night. He is going to be must-see TV, and very well may push the Spurs back into competitive territory. If Wembanyama is even half the player he’s expected to be, the Spurs should be a team that everyone wants to see play.

Indiana has an All-Star and Team USA member in Tyrese Haliburton who, when paired with second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin, creates one of the more intriguing young backcourt combos in the league. Indiana was five games over the .500 mark on Jan. 10 of last season before losing 16 of 18 to slide into the abyss. It would not be a shocker if they rediscover their first-half success from last season and compete for a playoff spot this season.

Oklahoma City is building something special. They finished with 40 wins and won a play-in game last season thanks to their all-world guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 31.4 points per game last season (context: that’s more than Jayson Tatum). They have other established, young pieces like Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams, and they’re adding the 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, plus 2023 No. 10 pick Cason Wallace into the fold this season. The Thunder might be the early favorite for League Pass darlings, and no one should miss out on their lone trip to the Garden on April 3.

These guys forced a Game 7 against the defending champs last season after winning 48 games and finishing No. 3 in West. De’Aaron Fox was an All-NBA Third Team selection, Domantas Sabonis made his third All-Star team, Mike Brown won Coach of the Year, second-year forward Keegan Murray looks like a stud, and yet somehow the Kings are flying under the radar. This team is incredibly entertaining to watch, and they’re absolutely in the discussion for potential Western Conference champions. Who wouldn’t want to see that in action against the odds-on favorite to win the East?

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The Most Underrated Games on Boston's 2023-24 Schedule

The Celtics strengthened their point guard depth in July with the addition of 23-year-old Toronto native Dalano Banton.

The 6-foot-7 ball handler brings two seasons of NBA experience to Boston after serving in a backup role for his hometown Raptors.

Banton already gave C’s fans a small taste of his coast-to-coast finishing ability during Summer League in Las Vegas, where he had an impressive 18-point, nine-rebound outing against the New York Knicks.

Before he hits the court again, let’s get to know Banton on a more personal level. Here are his Five Facts.

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Five Facts: Dalano Banton

The Celtics wasted no time on Day 1 of free agency this summer, bringing 6-foot-7 forward Oshae Brissett on board.

The 25-year-old Toronto native has four years of NBA experience under his belt, playing previously for the Raptors and Pacers. In Boston, he’ll finally have a chance to experience postseason basketball for the first time.

An athletic, versatile player, Brissett, says he plans to bring “energy and excitement” to TD Garden this season.

Before he hits the parquet floor, let’s get to know him more. Here are Brissett’s Five Facts: