Neemias Queta was the Boston Celtics' starting center last year, and even after they signed Mitchell Robinson in free agency, their plans shouldn't change for next season... and he is already showing why.
Queta has played very well for Portugal in two 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifiers so far, averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1.5 steals while shooting 65% from the field in 27.3 minutes.
Sure, his competition so far has been Willy Hernangomez, Aday Mara, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, and not Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid (too soon?), but he's looking comfortable and dominant against legitimate NBA talent (or former, in Hernangomez's case).
Queta was fantastic as Boston's starting center last year, and he's giving the team even more reasons to trust him again next season.
The Celtics should start Neemias Queta once again next season
There's a fair argument to be had that the Celtics should start Robinson over Queta next season (doing so might prevent them from needing to play him late in games - mostly eliminating the Hack-a-Mitch option for opposing teams - and he is a far better defender against top-tier bigs at the moment), but they still shouldn't do it.
Robinson is at his best in short bursts, mostly because he is too physical to play a full-length game without getting into real foul trouble, and he was just a backup center on a championship team. Plus, the Celtics have already invested so much into Queta (took a chance on him in 2023, named him their starting center last year despite having little experience in an expanded role, didn't make a big splash at the position this offseason, and signed him to a new deal). They clearly value his development, and giving him a starting role once again should help with that.
Queta still has a lot of work to do to become a reliable starting big man on a title-contending team, but it's clear that he has talent. Just last season, he averaged 10.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.3 BPG while shooting 65.3% from the field in his first season as a starter.
The Utah State alum is a tenacious rebounder, an efficient scorer, an underrated passer for his size (and, while he's not Hakeem Olajuwon or Kevin McHale with it, he has an underrated post game that the Celtics should try to fully unlock), and he has defensive potential because of his height, athleticism, and mobility.
Boston's center room took a big hit last summer with the Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford departures, but this at least made way for Queta to make an impact. He already did it once, and the Celtics should give him the chance to do it again.
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