Boston Celtics fans won’t have to wait until the preseason to get a fresh look at starting center Neemias Queta. Queta is set to represent Portugal as his home nation looks to qualify for next year’s FIBA World Cup in Qatar.
Neemi will be back in action for Portugal next month https://t.co/MbqAkPYgI7
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) July 28, 2026
Queta’s inclusion as part of the roster doesn’t come as a huge surprise. He represented Portugal last summer at EuroBasket, too.
His five-game stint with the national team served as a key tune up for his first full season as Boston’s starter. It also proved to be a sample of what was to come. Queta showed out last August, averaging 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game as he led Portugal to its first-ever knockout stage berth.
Queta clearly carried that momentum back over to the States because he took his opportunity and ran with it last season, after analysts around the country spent the summer labeling Boston’s frontcourt as one of the NBA’s weakest.
The 27-year-old wasted no time proving the doubters wrong and quickly became one of the most surprising stories of the campaign’s early months. By the end of the season, there was a real push for him to win the Most Improved Player award. Atlanta Hawks guard Nikeil Alexander-Walker wound up earning the honor, but Queta’s development went a long way, nonetheless.
In 76 appearances for the Cs, the big man averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. This upcoming run with Portugal will be a great opportunity for fans to get a look at any new tools he's added heading into next season.
Neemias Queta now has some competition in Mitchell Robinson
After his impressive breakout year, Queta will now have some competition in the frontcourt with the addition of free agent center Mitchell Robinson. Robinson was a thorn in Boston’s side for years every time they’d match up with the New York Knicks, thanks to his elite offensive rebounding ability.
Now, with him on their side, Queta welcomes the competition and looks forward to battling against Robinson at practice.
“A lot of boxing out at practice,” Queta told reporters in Las Vegas earlier this month. “We're going to both crash a lot. We're going to teach each other a little bit of what we do best, and I'll just be positive. I've heard he's a really positive guy and a really fun guy to be around, and I can't wait to do that.”
Whether or not Queta will head to the bench in favor of Robinson has still yet to be seen. Though, Spotrac’s Keith Smith reports that Queta will remain the starter. In theory, it’d make sense to have the former Knick out there at the beginning of quarters, that way opposing teams can’t exploit his poor free-throw shooting while the Cs are in the bonus.
Regardless, winning remains the top priority for Queta and the Celtics.
“Whoever plays, whoever doesn't play, we're really just -- I'm speaking for myself for sure, I haven't met him yet -- but I know for sure we're striving for greatness and getting the team the wins that we want. That's what matters at the end of the day, and we don't want to worry -- Well, I don't want to focus on anything else.”
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