CelticsBlog exit interview: Neemias Queta proved himself for Celtics before questions returned into playoffs

Neemias Queta embodied the Celtics’ season while speaking in the locker room following their Game 7 loss earlier this month. He showed so much promise and growth until it stalled against the Sixers. Foul trouble left him off the floor for most of the series, again raising questions of Boston’s front court despite a 56-win regular season.

“It starts with me, me being better,” Queta said. “But it’s just the nature of the job as a center — you’re in a lot of positions where you can get fouls. Whether it’s ball screens, whether it’s box-outs, whether it’s one-on-one defense, protecting the rim as well … I gotta start looking at myself, being better, first and foremost, and after that, it’s being consistent. I’ve shown flashes.”

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The flash came in the form of a full regular season where Queta stayed healthy, logging 76 games, and emerged as one of the league’s most efficient starting centers at 26. He averaged 25.3 minutes per game, up from 13.9, with 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks each night on 65.3% shooting.

His fouls from 5.4 times per 36 minutes in his first season with Boston to 4.0, a process that began in his native Portugal after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and saw both Al Horford and Luke Kornet depart in free agency. He was preparing for the EuroBasket tournament, where he needed to play as his team’s offensive hub. In Boston, Queta would almost certainly become the Celtics’ starter, having spent the previous two seasons learning between the G-League and Boston’s bench.

“You have to give him credit,” Joe Mazzulla said in March. “Part of telling him in the summer that he was going to be the starting center was giving him the time to properly wrap his mind around it. Physically, mentally, and emotionally prepare himself for what it means to be the starting center for the Celtics. And I think he’s taken on that ownership and responsibility well, and he’s got to keep it going. He has a responsibility now to continue to get better, regardless of the process. In less than 24 hours, we have to do it again, and then on. He cares about…

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Publish date : 2026-05-24 16:00:00

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