Neemias Queta vindicated for career-long chase flourishing with Celtics

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and Brooklyn Nets bench boss Jordi Fernandez knew that Neemias Queta's time would come. No matter what his playing time looked like, his mentality and his daily approach to improvement never wavered. They believed that his ascent to become an NBA starting center was inevitable.

"The sky is the limit for him. If you know him as a person and how he works and handles himself, I was very lucky to work with him in Sacramento," stated Fernandez before the Boston Celtics earned a 113-99 win at the Barclays Center. "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."

Neemias Queta never wavered in his pursuit to improve

Brown, Queta's head coach with the Kings in the latter's second year in the Association, sees what took fewer than 25 games this season to become evident.

"It looks like he's found a home, cause they're really trying to grow him. And it seems like he loves it here. And he can be really impactful," said Brown before Boston earned a 123-117 victory vs. the Knicks at TD Garden. "He's gonna be good for the Celtics for many years to come."

As Fernandez noted, Queta's journey took him through the G League. He spent years at the bottom of the depth chart in Sacramento and Boston. It's a mentally trying experience, one that breaks many. Yet the Lisbon, Portugal native never buckled.

"It's tough because I've been in a position where I wasn't really getting minutes, or I had good players ahead of me, but I feel like I was always confident in my abilities," Queta said on Saturday at the Auerbach Center.

"I was able to work every day with the same mindset, no matter what, trying to get better and waiting for an opportunity. I think I found a home here. I found an opportunity here, and I'm just rolling with it. That's the most exciting part, still with the same mindset, working every day towards a goal of getting better, and I think I'm on a great path to get where I want to be."

One reason for that is the 26-year-old center soaked up his chance to learn from his veteran teammates who departed this offseason. Individuals like Al Horford and Luke Kornet taught him about taking care of his body to handle the rigors of a relentless schedule and be at his best every time he takes the court. There were also tricks to the trade passed down to their younger teammate, who has repeatedly earned praise for quickly applying his lessons on the hardwood.

Now, after a summer of change, it's Queta's time. The fifth-year center is thriving with his chance to start for the Celtics.

Opponents are shooting 8.0 percent worse around the basket when he is there to protect the rim, per databallr.com. The athletic seven-footer is also rejecting 2.8 shots per 100 attempts, according to the same site.

At the other end of the floor, as a pick-and-roll partner, he's quickly cultivating synergy with Boston's primary ball-handlers. Queta's screens are consistently paving the way to productive possessions.

Furthermore, he's a lethal lob threat. That forces defenses to decide between rotating to tag him as he rolls to the rim, at the risk of giving up an open three, or giving up a dunk. It's an unenviable position to be in.

The former Utah State University standout is also an underrated passer when he gets the ball rolling to the basket. He maintains body control and doesn't treat the rock like a hot potato, firing it to the first person he locks eyes with. Instead, he has the coordination and poise to wait until he finds the open option to deliver a kick-out pass to.

Those abilities at both ends of the floor have Queta leading the Celtics with a plus-minus rating of +6.6.

The satisfaction from his early-season success hasn't satiated his hunger to maximize his potential. What's driving a player who has still logged fewer than 2,000 career minutes is that he knows the question of how much better he can become is open-ended.

"I've gotten so much better since I got to the NBA," he said. "That's a given. I don't take it for granted, but I also see how much better I can get, and that's what still motivates me, and I want to keep on getting better so I can help our team win."

The more Queta continues to grow while helping the Celtics be at their best, the more he strengthens his case to be Boston's starting center beyond this season.