After putting together the best season of his NBA career, big man Neemias Queta enters next year with a familiar mindset: there’s still room to grow.
The Celtics big man took a significant step forward last season, establishing himself as a reliable part of Boston’s rotation, but he isn’t treating that progress as a finish line. Instead, Queta is focused on continuing to round out his game and finding new ways to contribute.
During Media Day, Queta was asked about the areas of his game he has emphasized improving heading into the season. He pointed to his mobility as a particular focus, an area in which he believes he has already made significant progress.
“I’m working on my mobility. Obviously, I feel like I’ve taken great strides in that aspect, and I want to be able to keep on improving in that. Being able to be more versatile,” Queta said.
In a separate Media Day interview, Queta expanded on those comments.
“My versatility has gotten better, my ability to shoot the ball [has], too. Being able to be more of a mismatch killer too is going to be something that I’m trying to rely on this season,” Queta explained.
What particularly intrigues me about Queta’s developing versatility and mobility is the potential stress he can place on defenses with the ball in his hands, particularly as a handoff keeper and downhill driver. We saw flashes of this last year.
But when Queta says his mobility has improved over the offseason, I believe him. That progress was evident during his time representing his home country of Portugal in FIBA competition.
When discussing how playing in this setting can shape his development, Queta emphasized the opportunity to expand his role and experiment with different aspects of his game.
“When I go down there, I’m scoring the ball a little more… I see it as an opportunity to get better.”
Queta also highlighted the value of stepping outside his familiar structure of the NBA.
“You might be able to test different coverages and different methods that you’re not as used to doing over here [in the NBA] and check your comfort zone, too.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has also noticed Queta’s development in this area, saying at practice that, “The area that he’s gotten more confident in is just making plays, whether he’s in the seam, catching in the paint versus a small, just when he has the ball in his hands, something happening and not getting rid of it because we want something else to go to.”
Queta, having a bigger impact as a handoff keeper/driver this year, aligns with the Celtics early intention on developing different ways to attack on offense.
During Media Day, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens described the direction coming out of the coaches’ meetings, saying, “It seems like there’s a lot of leaning into different ways to attack and different ways of playing.”
Additionally, Stevens noted, “At times in the past…in the biggest moments we’ve had a tendency to be stagnant. I think this group can be more versatile in those ways.”
To me, this is ultimately about having as many viable counters as possible available at any moment. I don’t want Queta to start isoing and crossing over opposing fives every chance he gets, but I do think he is more than capable skill and athleticism wise, to make his own offense especially when these opportunities will be coming with premade advantages.
Playing alongside Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, and Derrick White naturally creates opportunities for Queta, as defenses are forced to devote significant attention to those perimeter threats. If Queta can consistently capitalize on the openings that attention creates, it gives the Celtics another layer to their offensive attack.
