Joe Mazzulla springs Queta-Robinson double-big on Hornets — and wants Queta’s playmaking at a new level

BOSTON — Oct. 14, 2026 — Joe Mazzulla did not tip the Celtics’ double-big look before tip. He sprung Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson together to open the second quarter of a 114-93 preseason win over the Charlotte Hornets — and only told the group moments earlier — then explained afterward why he wanted the film and what he wants from Queta’s handle.

“Wanted to get some game reps in so we could have it on film,” Mazzulla said of the Queta-Robinson pairing.

Joe Mazzulla on the Celtics’ double-big lineups tonight:

“Wanted to get some game reps in so we could have it on film.” https://t.co/Ux2tyyDV8M pic.twitter.com/zbgRVknMm7

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) October 15, 2026

Sprung at the half, then put back on the floor

Bobby Krivitsky reported that Mazzulla’s players did not know the double-big was coming until right before the second quarter. “The guys didn’t know we were gonna do it, they hadn’t practiced it,” Mazzulla said. On the floor, the pairing worked early: Queta and Robinson outscored Charlotte 10-3 in the first 3:17 of the second, then 12-3 for that stretch of the quarter, and Mazzulla put them back together to start the fourth.

The look is not new in concept — Boston has used two non-spacing bigs before — but Wednesday’s version was a live test with Robinson camping in the dunker while Queta screened up top, and with Queta attacking off the bounce for finishes that looked like his international game.

Queta’s playmaking, Robinson’s IQ

Asked about Queta making plays off the dribble in those lineups, Mazzulla pointed to growth he wants to see. “Play-making is an area that we’d like to see Neemi take to a different level,” he said.

On Robinson, the praise was blunt. “Mitch is one of the smartest players I’ve been around,” Mazzulla said. That fits the staff’s broader ask of Robinson this camp — more off-ball screens and broader offensive reads — while Queta gets freer rein to create when the two share the floor.

Boston improved to 3-0 in the preseason. The Celtics’ starters against Charles Lee’s Hornets were Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Robinson. With one more exhibition left before the Oct. 20 opener in Detroit, Mazzulla now has game film of a Queta-Robinson unit that did not need a practice run-through — and a clear public cue that Queta’s next step is playmaking, not just finishing.