Neemias Queta has been a good find for the Boston Celtics as an effective center off the bench.
After putting in the time to improve his skill set in the G League over the first three years of his career (51 total games in that span), he was a full-time NBA player during the 2024-25 season.
Even though Queta played more games and minutes this season than at any point in his pro career, he still was the third or fourth center on the roster most nights. A lot of that was due to the Celtics’ depth. On most other teams, Queta could have been a No. 2 big man.
Luckily for Queta, the upcoming season could see him take on the largest and most important role of his Celtics tenure.
As we continue our “Celtics Player Spotlight” series, let’s recap his 2024-25 season and analyze how he fits into Boston’s lineup for 2025-26:
2024-25 Season Recap
Queta brings great energy and hustle to the second unit. After playing in 28 games for the Celtics during the 2023-24 campaign, Queta saw action in a career-high 62 games and made six starts (zero in his first four seasons). He also appeared in four of Boston’s 11 playoff games.
He averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game, while shooting 65 percent from the floor in an average of 13.9 minutes per game. He tallied seven or more rebounds in 17 games.
Queta does not stretch the floor as an outside shooter, but he does have a soft touch around the rim and enough size/length (7-foot, 250 pounds) to provide good interior defense.
Contract details
Queta just completed the first season of a three-year contract. He has a $2.35 million salary cap hit for the 2025-26 season, per Spotrac.
Potential roles for 2025-26
Scenario 1: If Luke Kornet signs elsewhere, Queta could step into his role
Veteran centers Luke Kornet and Al Horford are both unrestricted free agents this summer. Queta is more similar to Kornet than Horford because he’s more of a low-post scorer and can finish on lobs at the basket. Neither Queta nor Kornet shoot 3-pointers like Horford.
Kornet had a really good season, and it’s possible that he could receive a better contract offer from another team, especially given the Celtics’ second apron difficulties. If Kornet were to depart, Queta could step into that role and see his minutes increase to 18-20 per game.
One area where Kornet shined was on the offensive glass. His 2.6 offensive rebounds per game were at least one more than any other player on Boston’s roster this past season. If Queta did step into Kornet’s role, he would have to be active on the offensive glass and help give the Celtics more second-chance opportunities.
Scenario 2: Lack of frontcourt depth gives Queta more opportunities
If Kornet and/or Horford don’t return, and if Kristaps Porzingis misses more time due to injury next season, it’s possible that Queta could see a fairly significant increase in his role.
Frontcourt depth could be one of the Celtics’ biggest weak points next season. Not only could they lose one or more of their centers in the offseason, their No. 1 rebounder — Jayson Tatum — could miss most or all of next season as he recovers from Achilles surgery. Porzingis has played in 99 of a possible 164 regular season games since joining the C’s.
Queta should see an uptick in minutes in 2025-26 regardless of which offseason moves are made in the next few months.
Final thoughts
Queta is signed for two more seasons with a salary cap hit of less than $3 million per year. He has a very team-friendly contract, so it would benefit the Celtics tremendously if he could make a larger impact in a more important role next season.
He doesn’t have to score 10-plus points to be effective. Making his presence felt as a rebounder and a reliable interior defender would likely be good enough.
Read the full article here