Neemias Queta's impact on the Boston Celtics is easy to recognize even when he's not on the court. Their net rating is 32.4 points better with him on the floor, per Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. That's the best mark of any center in the league. He also ranks in the top 15 in plus-minus, registering a rating of +9, per NBA.com.
Those numbers capture Queta capitalizing on his opportunity to join Boston's first unit in the wake of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet departing.
The fifth-year center has an impressive basketball IQ, quickly applying lessons learned with more minutes. The seven-footer's combination of size and athleticism makes him a standout rim protector and a lob threat at the other end, providing vertical spacing. That gravity helps create quality looks for the Celtics' shooters. So does his screening. He's proving to be one of the best centers in the NBA in that area.
"The sky is the limit for him," stated Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez before hosting Tuesday's tilt vs. Boston. "If you know him as a person and how he works and handles himself, I was very lucky to work with him in Sacramento. You could tell that, you know, like he started playing basketball a little older, right? I think he started playing soccer, like a lot of us that come from countries where soccer is the number one sport. But once he picked up basketball, you could tell that he had all the skill set and the talent to be a really good defender. To be [a] really good teammate. To get his teammates open, all the screens, all the roles.
Queta's former assistant coach also praised the driving force behind his growth.
"Always, his willingness to learn and be better, and he cares. That's why -- I think it made him special. It doesn't always work right away for you where you are, but you could tell he always took the proper steps. And he was in the G league. I think he was Defensive Player of the Year. He was [on] a winning team. He helped us on the NBA team. Then he found a place with Boston. And you know, he's had a tremendous impact on a team that is a winning team, and I think he's part of it. So, I really like the person that I think is going to keep growing."
Joe Mazzulla's outlok on Queta's growth
That willingness to attack his weaknesses and push himself to grow is at the heart of why the 26-year-old center from Lisbon, Portugal, is maximizing his opportunity as a first-unit fixture.
How Queta handles his business is an approach appreciated by his head coach, who shares that same intensity.
"Yeah, I think it's a really underrated characteristic of Neemi's," said Mazzulla before Tuesday's game against the Nets. "He takes his role and he takes his development very serious. And his preparation, watching film, going through walk throughs, even his in-game stuff. So, he's a mild-mannered guy, but he has a very intense attitude towards preparation, towards professionalism, and I think that's why you've seen him get better and better."
Queta has logged fewer than 2,000 NBA minutes. The experience is new. And now he's learning what it means for his team to depend on him in a significant way from one game to the next.
"I think he's just getting better," voiced Mazzulla when asked about his starting center getting more comfortable. "It's obviously going to be an adjustment, having to do it every night, as opposed to doing it once a week. So, I think that just comes with time.
"His preparations remain the same. His willingness to take criticism [and] take coaching has gotten better and better. And you're seeing, kind of, the rewards of that. So, he's just got to continue to grow. But I'm really happy just kind of where he's at, especially mentally. Have an understanding that there's an accountability and responsibility to play every night, and he takes that very seriously."