Neemias Queta was incredible last season for the Celtics, and it took people the entire season to even start to view his play as anything more than a fluke. Some of that is understandable. It’s not like Queta was a promising rookie coming in and making his debut. This is a guy who was drafted in the second round back in 2021, battled for a roster spot on the Kings, mostly playing for their G-League affiliate before being waived in 2023.
The Celtics signed Neemy to a two-way deal in 2023, and he had a solid season, mostly in Maine, before being added on a standard contract in 2024. Still, he was outside of the rotation behind Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, with no real path to consistent minutes.
That all changed last year. The Celtics parted with all three of those big men, and Queta found himself not only in an NBA rotation for the first time in his career, but as the day-one starting center for the Boston Celtics. And boy oh boy did he take advantage of the opportunity.
He had a breakout season at age 26 and was one of the biggest reasons why the Celtics were able to overachieve so much compared to expectations, winning 56 games and securing the two seed in the Eastern Conference.
Bleacher Report ranks Queta as NBA's most underrated player
And still, after a rough but understandable introduction to playoff basketball, it feels like Neemy has almost been written off yet again, but that shouldn’t be the case, and it won’t be for long. Bleacher Report released its list of the most underrated players in the NBA, and sure enough, atop the list was none other than Neemias Queta, the most underrated player in the entire league.
Zach Buckley explained how much the advanced metrics loved Neemy and how his win shares per 48 minutes trailed only Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Duren, and Victor Wembanyama. He also wisely pointed out what I said above: that last season was Queta’s first real crack at NBA rotation minutes.
Now, he’s 27 and has a year of experience under his belt. He has also been signed to a fresh new contract extension, which will keep him in Boston for the next five seasons. He should only continue to get better as he grows into his role and expands his game. The changes to the roster this offseason should lean even more into his strengths on both ends, and it has become clear that he’s now a legitimate part of the team’s core going forward.
That may sound crazy given what we thought we knew about Queta a year ago, but that’s the beauty of the NBA. Neemy has worked his butt off and turned himself into one of the better centers in the world. The Celtics and their fans have certainly taken notice. Now it’s time for the rest of the league to catch up.
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