Following his EuroBasket campaign with Portugal, Neemias Queta revealed that Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke with him multiple times throughout the competition.
“I spoke with him a couple of times; he is always sending me messages of appreciation, or love, or me getting better,” Queta said via Eurohoops. “What he sees in me, what I need to improve on, and that’s a great relationship that we have…It (EuroBasket) was a good opportunity for me to evolve my game and get ready for the next season…I got rested enough this offseason, and I think that I put myself in the best position to have a breakout season. I have the tools to compete with the best.”
Next season will be a big one for Queta.
What’s in store for Neemias Queta?
Boston traded Kristaps Porzingis this summer, and Luke Kornet and (soon) Al Horford left in free agency. That leaves Queta as the de facto starting center heading into next season. He’ll be forced to sink or swim.
For the past few years, Queta has been learning the ropes in Boston, and Mazzulla has been tough on him. But that could all pay off next year.
Last November, after Queta made a few mistakes in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Mazzulla pulled him from the game and began screaming at him on the sidelines. That’s just how he’s chosen to coach the young big man.
“He’s grown a lot as a player,” Mazzulla said via Bobby Manning of CLNS. “And quite honestly, he doesn’t know how great he can be. He’s got a great ceiling, so the standard’s very high. And I thought he did some great things for us tonight. But when you’re as good as he could be, we all got to hold him to that standard every single night.
“So, it’s a credit to him for just allowing us to coach him [and] it’s a credit to the guys for supporting him. But you see what he’s capable of when he’s at his best, and he can be a real asset for us throughout the season. He works really hard, he cares, and I’m grateful he allows me to coach him. He’s starting to realize how good he really can be, and he’s working at it.”
Though Mazzulla has obviously been hard on Queta, it’s clearly from a place of belief. If Queta is going to reach his full potential, he needs to be coached accordingly, and Mazzulla is willing to do that.