When the Boston Celtics chose Neemias Queta as their starting center, they rolled the dice. They moved on from their three most-used bigs in Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, supplanting their depth by placing their faith in Queta, who had just six career starts across four seasons.
Queta, a non-shooting big unlike Porziņģis or Horford and less experienced than Kornet, was handed the keys to Boston’s frontcourt from the start. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla even texted Queta during the offseason to tell him the job was his. Since then, he’s repaid the organization twofold — breaking out as a first-year starter and Boston’s leading rebounder (8.4) through 70 starts, with five games remaining in the regular season.
On Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, Queta scored 19 points with 10 rebounds and four blocks, recording his 16th double-double of the season on a milestone night.
“It’s becoming kind of like second nature for me,” Queta told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after Boston’s 133-101 win over Milwaukee. “Getting to understand my teammates, getting to understand how to get them open, how to figure out how to score down in the paint, and rebounding is something I’ve been doing for a long time. So I’m glad I got to 1,000. Let’s get to 10,000 or whatever more I can get.”
Before the season, Queta had only 396 career rebounds as a backup on Boston’s bench. He’s already grabbed 604 boards this season alone, emerging as a late-bloomer who’s reshaping how the league sees him. He’s playing the role of a traditional center without the bells and whistles of modern NBA bigs — and it’s paying off. Queta has found the sweet spot of not doing too much, but doing more than enough to push Boston to heights many considered unfeasible on Opening Night.
Queta is averaging a career-high 10.1 points while shooting 64.3 percent from the field. He ranks seventh in the league in both defensive rating (105.5) and net rating (11.9). The Celtics, meanwhile, average the fewest turnovers (12.2), rank second in offensive rating (119.9), and third in 3-pointers made (15.3), maintaining their No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference since Jan. 15.
“We’re getting good looks, and once we manipulate the defense, we’re able to knock down shots,” Queta said in Milwaukee.
Even at the February trade deadline, when the Celtics swapped Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević, Queta maintained his role as the go-to center. Vučević, a 15-year veteran and two-time All-Star, has come off the bench in 11 of his 12 appearances behind Queta, showing how far he’s come since Mazzulla entrusted him with the starting role.
“It’s unbelievable,” Jayson Tatum told reporters. “I couldn’t be more proud and happier for Neemi. You know, the way he’s seeing the game, the leap that he’s made as a screener, as a passer. Somebody you can trust when you throw the ball in the seams — finishing, protecting the rim. He is an NBA starting big man. That’s who he is now.”
Three years ago, the Sacramento Kings waived Queta, allowing him to sign a two-way contract with the Celtics a week later. He showed promising flashes during Boston’s 2023-24 championship season, making 28 appearances and earning a standard contract before the playoffs. Year after year, Queta continued to improve as a member of the “Stay-Ready Group.” When the biggest opportunity of his professional career finally arrived, he validated Boston’s offseason plan and player development program.
Now, there’s no telling where Queta’s ceiling is.
“He’s only going to continue to get better,” Tatum added.
Last season, Queta was a reserve stuck in the shadows of Porziņģis, Horford, and Kornet as the Celtics approached the playoffs. With Porziņģis sidelined by a mystery illness, Kornet emerged as the unung hero against the New York Knicks in Round 2. This time, the floor belongs to Queta. He’s the primary center and most reliable big, and rather than serving as a placeholder, he has become an integral piece. He’s helped make the Spain pick-and-roll a dependable tactic in their offense, creating space for teammates with simple, yet effective actions that go unnoticed in the boxscore.
In seven previous playoff appearances with the Celtics, Queta never played more than five minutes. In Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, he played 5 minutes.
However, Queta’s breakout has him feeling confident and locked in for Boston’s final stretch before the playoffs.
The Celtics return home after back-to-back blowout victories, scoring 280 points in Miami and Milwaukee to maintain a 2 1/2 game lead over the No. 3 seed New York Knicks.
“I feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” Queta said. “We’re playing great basketball. We’re looking great offensively. Our defense is picking up a lot, so we just want to keep on honing these skills and keep on getting better because we’ve got these last five games to finish strong and then head into the playoffs with the best momentum to go full steam ahead.”
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