Jaylen Brown’s departure will lead to Neemias Queta having his best offensive season for the Boston Celtics during the 2026 Campaign. Yes, you read that correctly, and let me explain.

Over the first four seasons under Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics have been near the bottom of the league in drives to the basket. Boston ranked 24th in drives, averaging 49 per game. Former Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown accounted for 32.2% of those drives, averaging 15.8 per game.

Boston’s reluctance to drive to the basket stems from its offensive system. Joe Mazzulla has implemented a system that doesn’t involve much basketball movement. Since 2022, the Celtics have ranked 20th in passes per game, averaging 278.1. 

Those passes have come over 97 possessions per game, 24th in the league. Divide passes per game by possessions, and Boston averages 2.9 passes per possession. 

These factors create scenarios where the initial ball handler tries to draw multiple defenders. Once this happens, the ball handler passes to a teammate standing behind the three-point line to take a shot.

This style of play has made Boston near the top of the league in isolation possessions; they have been fifth in isolation possessions since 2022-23, averaging 10 per game. They have also been 6th in catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, averaging 28.9 per game.

As a result, opposing teams will try to close the airspace near the three-point line. The defensive strategy should force the Boston Celtics into one of two decisions:

1. Take a contested three-pointer, which they haven’t been good at. Boston has shot 29.7% on contested three-point attempts since 2022 on 6.1 attempts per game.

2. Pass the basketball to an open teammate for a quality shot. If my assessment is correct, Neemias Queta will have extra space to maneuver near the basket and be an outlet for the ball handler. 

Neemias Queta has been extremely productive near the basket, shooting 73.5% on 3.2 attempts per game since 2023-24. These factors indicate he is in position to have a career year. He should have the extra space to maneuver near the basket and be an outlet for the ball handler.