Joe Mazzulla used the Boston Celtics’ preseason home finale to try something new, pairing Mitchell Robinson with Neemias Queta in a 114-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. The look gave Boston another chance to work through different frontcourt combinations before Opening Night.
The Celtics are 3-0 in the preseason, but the more important number inside this game may have been the 28 points Robinson and Queta combined for. Queta’s role was especially notable because he attempted three 3-pointers against the Hornets after taking eight all last season, a sign that Mazzulla is still stretching the limits of what this group can do.
That is the point of this stretch for Boston. Last season’s 56 wins and second-place finish in the Eastern Conference established the baseline; now Mazzulla is trying to find the combinations that fit a reworked roster without giving up what already works. Robinson said after the game that Mazzulla “gets on my ass a lot,” and Mazzulla said Robinson is “one of the smartest players I’ve been around,” which explains why the pairing looked less like a stunt than a real test of how quickly both bigs can process the same system.
The wrinkle is that a preseason success does not automatically settle the regular-season plan. Neemias Queta said the double-big look “can help us” and can be “a weapon” at certain points, but he also made clear it will not pull him away from what he does best. That leaves the real question in front of Boston: how often Mazzulla will actually use Robinson and Queta together once the games count, and whether the Celtics keep leaning on these experiments when the schedule starts to matter.
There is also the wider picture of a team still sorting itself out. Boston has looked sharp enough to stay unbeaten, while Paul George has gone 5-for-20 from the floor across two preseason appearances, a reminder that not every early number points in the same direction. For the Celtics, the next answer arrives at Opening Night, when the preseason ideas either become part of the rotation or get parked until Mazzulla needs another adjustment.
