Back in September 2024, Neemias Queta was in Sacramento preparing for his third NBA season when he got a call that it would not be happening there.
“That day, it changed everything,” he said. “I think I was working out there, and later on, they told me I was going to move on in a different direction and stuff. You get through it, like trying to figure out what’s the next step, and I’m really happy Boston stepped up, and I’m happy where I ended up.”
The then-24-year-old appeared in just 20 games across two seasons with the Kings, spending most of his time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, where he dominated. Queta was named to the All-NBA G League First Team and the G League All-Defensive Team. He also finished runner-up in G League MVP voting, averaging 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
He was waived in favor of JaVale McGee, in what would turn out to be McGee’s final NBA season.
“We missed him a lot when I was in Sacramento, and he went [to Boston],” former Kings head coach Mike Brown said earlier this season.
Boston has reaped the rewards. Originally a two-way player before converting to a standard deal in April 2024, Queta has progressed from a G League project and depth center into the team’s starting center — and he has done an impressive job.
“He’s a great player,” Joe Mazzulla. “I’d say, on both ends of the floor. Defensively, his ability to protect the rim, our ability to cross-match when he’s out there. Offensively, his screening versus different coverages, and his offensive rebounding. I mean, he’s just grown and developed into a very important player for us, and you can see a difference when we have him.”
How far Queta has come was on full display Friday night. Against the team that cut him, and in his 44th start of the season, the big man delivered a stellar performance, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and a block while posting a +25. It marked his seventh double-double of the season after recording just two over his previous four years in the league.
Kings head coach Doug Christie, who served as an assistant during Queta’s time in Sacramento, said the success Queta is enjoying now as Boston’s starting center comes as no surprise.
“Not at all,” Christie said. “He’s got the work ethic. Unfortunately, obviously, we didn’t keep him, but knowing the length, the rim protection, the athleticism, the effort, the teamwork. He’s just a good young player and a good kid.”
Christie, who served as a mentor to Queta early in his NBA career, praised Queta’s approach and said watching his development has been especially rewarding.
“One of my favorites, to be honest with you,” he said. “To watch him have the success that he’s had has been really exciting. I’m super proud of him. I know that he wants to be really good, and his approach to the game has always been great when he was around me. I can’t speak for when he’s been here, but he’s a great young man, and super excited for him.”
Keon Ellis, who shared a two-way contract season with Queta in 2022–23 and helped lead the Stockton Kings to a 25–7 record, said Queta’s performance this season brings back memories of the high-level play they showed in Stockton.
“Just a really great player. Protecting the rim, a lob threat, a great screen setter, and a roller. Everything he’s doing now, like, I mean, it was the same thing back then. So just glad to see he’s doing it at the NBA level,” he said. “A lot of teams can use that and need guys like that.”
Queta has been an integral part of the Celtics’ success this season. He is averaging 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. Beyond the obvious numbers on the stat sheet, his screening has become essential in the Celtics’ offense. His 173 total screen assists (defined as any screen that directly leads to a basket by the player who received the screen) are second in the NBA, trailing only Rudy Gobert (199).
As a rim protector, Queta has been a force in the paint. Opponents are shooting 10.9% worse at the rim when he is defending. He is one of just 16 players this season to record at least 56 blocks, as his presence consistently deters opponents.
Add it all together, and you get a very impactful basketball player, which Queta has become. Among players with at least 45 games played this season, his 10.8 net rating trails Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (14.8) and Cason Wallace (13.5).
There have been plenty of developmental success stories for the Celtics this season, and Queta has been one of the most impressive. His growth was on full display Friday night, a reminder of just how far he has come.
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