Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta is set to tip off his EuroBasket campaign with Portugal on Wednesday. The tournament should serve as a nice tune-up for the big man ahead of what should be a big season for him.
By all accounts, it sure feels like Queta will be the starting center in Boston by the time opening night rolls around. Though he isn’t perfect, he’s the team’s best option as their depth evaporated over the summer.
Even still, No. 88 has shown a tremendous amount of growth since joining the Celtics on a two-way contract in the summer of 2023. It’s clear that Queta has slowly earned the trust of head coach Joe Mazzulla. In the 2024-25 season alone, the big man made more appearances than he had in his entire career combined up to that point.
Mazzulla relies heavily on trust to build his rotations. That’s no secret.
He also leans heavily into relationship building with his players. Though Queta tells Barracha Laranja that he’s unsure if Mazzulla will make the trip out to watch him at EuroBasket, he’s still been supportive throughout the entire summer.
“We've talked about it, but he hasn't confirmed whether he'll be coming,” Queta revealed. “I wouldn't be surprised if he did, because he’s someone who does these things. If he doesn't, I know there will be leaders present. And even though he's not physically present, he's been supportive: he texts me almost every day asking how it's going. We have an excellent relationship.”
Joe Mazzulla's greatest asset may be his people skills
Mazzulla’s people skills really don’t get talked about enough. Sure, he’ll say some crazy stuff at the podium once in a while that’ll go viral, but what really makes him special is how well he seems to get along with his players.
Queta is just one example.
Just last week on an episode of his “White Noise” podcast, Celtics guard Derrick White revealed that Mazzulla had visited him and his family in Colorado earlier in the summer. White said that Mazzulla spent time working out with him, hanging out with his kids, and playing cards with him and his father.
Derrick White started off the most recent episode of his “White Noise” podcast by sharing that Joe Mazzulla visited him in Colorado.
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 19, 2025
Mazzulla watched him work out, spent time with White’s kids, and played some card games with him and his father.
It seems the two have been close for some time now. After Boston sealed the 2024 NBA Championship with a Game 5 rout of the Dallas Mavericks, White got emotional at the podium when speaking of Mazzulla’s impact on the team.
"I love Joe Mazzulla so much,” White raved. “He gets the job and he's like, ‘..I'm gonna start you, I believe in you,’ from that moment on it's changed my whole career, I'd do anything for him."
With Mazzulla signing a multi-year contract extension this summer, it's clear that Brad Stevens, as well as Celtics ownership, has full confidence in him.