Will Neemias Queta become first center in decades to win MIP?

Boston Celtics

“He should be taken into serious consideration because of where he’s been and where he is now,” Joe Mazzola said.

Sam Hauser laughed He also remembers what it was like to see Neemias Queta hit the first three-pointer of his career.

the Celtics The team already had a 38-point lead late in the third quarter against the Pelicans on Friday night, and Jaylen Brown drew enough attention as he drove to the basket to create enough space for good ball movement.

There was a pass to Jordan Walsh in the corner, then another to Queta at the top of the key. Quetta interfered with the shot and hit a powerful shot, which delighted the fans.

“Buttery,” Hauser said after thinking about how to describe the shot. “It was buttery. It was smooth. He was very excited about it and we were very excited about it.”

“He’s done a great job all year, getting better and better. He’s really shown why he’s a starter in this league, on our team, and I think he should be in contention for the Most Improved Player award. He’s come up big for us a lot this year and we need him to continue that.”

Queta is averaging twice as many minutes (25.5 minutes per game) as he did when he came to Boston two years ago. The NBA requires a minimum of 63 games of 20 minutes or more for Most Improved candidates. Queta played in 75 matches, and participated in 74 matches. He had never started more than six games in a season before this year.

He has 17 double-doubles, more than LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Russell Westbrook this season. He recorded his 100th block of the year on Friday night, which puts him 11th in the NBA.

“That was great. Those little things matter,” coach Joe Mazzola said of those little accomplishments. “You see the work the guys put in and the responsibility and the ownership that the guy has who became the starting center for the Celtics.”

“So, him being able to accomplish that is great. Just his work and attention to detail defensively — there’s a lot of pressure on the bigs in our system defensively. They have to do everything on both ends of the court and he’s relishing that opportunity. I’m glad he’s got that.”

It’s been twenty years since a center has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award if you count Boris Diaw (as ESPN does), who played multiple positions over the course of his career.

Jermaine O’Neill, who won the award in 2002, is the most recent winner to have played primarily as a midfielder.

Queta is among the leading candidates for the award this year, according to NBA.com.

BetMGM has Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker as the favorite, followed by Detroit’s Jalen Doeren, Portland’s Deni Avdija, and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson.

The Celtics have officially clinched the No. 2 seed in the East. Their success after the departures of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet was proof that Quetta’s game had come a long way.

“He impacts both ends of the court,” Celtics midfielder Nikola Vucevic said. “Defensively, he covers a lot for us, with his rebounding, blocking shots and even contesting.” “He makes guys think a little bit when they get into the paint, and then he gets very active offensively. A good screen and roller on the glass, it just impacts the game in so many ways and some of those things don’t show up on the stat sheet but they matter a lot to us.”

Last week, Jaylen Brown said the growth in Quetta’s game from last season to this season is like “night and day.”

“I think the communication is much higher,” Brown said. “I think his understanding has grown, and I think he’s just had a feel for the game. Early in the season, you felt like you were having a conversation (with him), or you knew it wasn’t connecting, and everything seemed to connect with him.”

“He has a good feel for the game, sees where he needs to be, and it’s been really good for our team this year. It’s been an honor to watch the growth from the beginning of the season to where he is now.”

There is one more regular season left. Playoff basketball will return to TD Garden this spring, and the Celtics have home-field advantage in the first round.

They relied on the new center to help them get there, and his work ethic has led to marked improvement.

“I hope he gets it. He deserves it,” Mazzola said. “For me, again, obviously as a player but more than that — I think what it means to do this with the Celtics goes a long way to where he’s been in his journey in the NBA but also his journey with us in the organization. He has to be taken into serious consideration because of where he’s been and where he is now. We wouldn’t be in this position without him.”