Queta recorded four points (2-3 FG), two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 18 minutes during Thursday's 123-99 victory over Detroit.
The big man saw significant playing time off the bench while serving as the primary backup to Kristaps Porzingis on Thursday. Queta has appeared in three consecutive outings following a DNP-CD on Dec. 4, during which he has averaged 3.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks across 15.7 minutes per contest.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Turns heads with strong play
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Queta posted 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, four blocks and two steals over 25 minutes during Monday's 126-94 victory over the Clippers.
The Celtics were missing Al Horford (illness) and Luke Kornet (hamstring) for the second leg of this back-to-back set, while Kristaps Porzingis returned to action with 23 minutes. Queta absorbed the available center minutes and made the most of them, recording a season-high four blocks in the process. He's been excellent in limited minutes for the Celtics this season, but it's hard to see a path to consistent value now that the team is getting healthier up front.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Back to bench
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Queta won't start Sunday's game against the Timberwolves, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
As expected, Queta will shift back to the bench due to Al Horford returning to the starting lineup after a one-game absence due to an illness. However, with Luke Kornet (hamstring) unavailable, Queta should still see a sizable reserve role behind Horford on Sunday.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Quiet in spot start
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Queta ended Friday's 108-96 victory over Washington with seven points (1-3 FG, 5-6 FT), two rebounds and one block over 18 minutes.
Queta moved into the starting lineup after Al Horford was ruled out due to illness. Having assumed the primary backup role behind Horford, Queta was the obvious choice to run with the starters. However, his production was far from inspiring, and he was replaced by Luke Kornet to begin the second half. Although he has carved out a consistent role, Queta's upside remains relatively limited.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Returns to starting role
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Queta is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Wizards.
Queta will get the nod at center with Al Horford (illness) sidelined. In four previous starts this season, Queta is averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 26.3 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Moves back to bench Tuesday
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Queta is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers.
Queta will head to the bench for this game since the Celtics will play their best possible starting unit. Queta has averaged 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game when playing off the bench this season.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Coming off bench
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Queta will play a reserve role in Friday's game against the Nets, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
With veteran Al Horford getting the starting nod at center, Queta will come off the bench. It will snap a string of two straight starts for the big man. He has averaged 5.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks across 12.2 minutes in six games as a reserve.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: In starting five Monday
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Queta will enter the starting lineup in Monday's game against the Hawks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
The 25-year-old center will start alongside Al Horford in the frontocourt with Jaylen Brown (hip) out. Queta has played double-digit minutes in each of the Celtics' last three games, during which he averaged 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 75.0 percent from the field across 17.7 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Pops for 12 points in win
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Queta recorded 12 points (6-6 FG), six rebounds and one assist over 24 minutes during Friday's 124-109 victory over the Hornets.
Queta logged a season-high 24 minutes, making the most of the fact that Al Horford was resting. While Luke Kornet got the start, it was Queta who stepped up, something to keep in mind the next time Horford is given the night off. With that said, the allocation of minutes could vary depending on the matchup, so there is no guarantee Queta plays 24 minutes next time.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Reverts to bench
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Queta will move to the second unit for Tuesday's preseason game against the Raptors, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
This is an expected move with Boston getting most of its key players back from a planned rest day. With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined to start the season, Queta is competing for rotational minutes with Xavier Tillman.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Double-doubles in win Sunday
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Queta posted 12 points (3-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 15 rebounds, five assists and a block across 21 minutes in Sunday's 115-111 preseason win over the Raptors.
The Celtics rested the entire group that started Saturday's huge win over the 76ers, and Queta certainly took advantage of his opportunity. However, as good as he looked in this win, Queta isn't likely to have a prominent role in the rotation, and his best bet at seeing the court regularly would be to beat Xavier Tillman for the backup role behind Al Horford and Luke Kornet while Kristaps Porzingis (foot) remains sidelined.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Starting Sunday
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Queta will start Sunday's preseason game against the Raptors, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Queta will enter the starting lineup due to the Celtics benching their starters for the second half of a back-to-back set. The 25-year-old appeared in 28 games during the 2023-24 season and posted averages of 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Slated to return to Boston
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Queta agreed Sunday to a multi-year deal with the Celtics, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The Celtics declined Queta's $2.2 million team option for 2024-25 on Saturday, but the team had been eager to bring him back as an unrestricted free agent if the price was right. Queta perhaps quickly assessed his options on the open market and ultimately agreed to stick around in Boston. Though he was largely outside of Boston's rotation in 2023-24 while spending most of the season as a two-way player, Queta produced well when called upon, averaging 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game. The Celtics should have room for at least one of Queta or Luke Kornet in the rotation in the early part of the season as a primary backup to Al Horford, as Kristaps Porzingis (foot) likely won't be ready to play in at least the first handful of games.
The Celtics declined Queta's $2.2 million team option for the 2024-25 season Saturday, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.
According to Robb, the the Celtics are still hopeful to retain Queta, though the club will face more challengers for his services now that he's an unrestricted free agent. Queta spent most of the 2023-24 season as a two-way player before he was upgraded to a standard NBA deal shortly before the playoffs. He appeared in 28 regular-season contests and averaged 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per contest.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Posts big line in finale
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Queta tallied 19 points (8-11 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, six blocks and one assist in 20 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 132-122 win over the Wizards.
With Boston resting all five of its usual starters along with top reserve big man Al Horford in the season finale, Queta was one of several Celtics reserves who stepped into enlarged roles. After tallying 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in just 18 minutes in Friday's 131-98 win over the Hornets, Queta came through with another huge line during his limited time on the court. Though he was recently converted from a two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, Queta will likely rejoin the G League's Maine Celtics for Game 3 of the G League Finals on Monday versus the Oklahoma City Blue. After that game, Queta will then make his way back to Boston for the start of the Celtics' postseason run.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Career-high 16 points in return
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Queta amassed 16 points (8-10 FG), six rebounds, five assists and two steals over 18 minutes during Friday's 131-98 win over Charlotte.
Queta returned to Boston on Friday after spending time in the G League with the Maine Celtics. With Boston locked into the best record in the NBA, the team opted to sit all five of its starters and Al Horford (toe), which gave Queta and the rest of the bench players extended playing time Friday. Queta took advantage of the opportunity, scoring a career-high 16 points on just 10 field-goal attempts. He will likely see a similar workload in the Celtics' regular-season finale against the Wizards on Sunday.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Recalled by Boston
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Boston recalled Queta from the G League's Maine Celtics on Friday, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds during Maine's loss to the Oklahoma City Blue during Game 2 of the G League Finals on Thursday. He signed a standard contract with the Celtics on Monday and will join the parent club for the final two games of the regular season this weekend. Over 26 appearances with Boston this year, he's averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game. Queta figures to return to the G League club ahead of Game 3 on Monday.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Inks deal with Boston
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Queta agreed to a standard contract with the Celtics on Monday, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta will be eligible for the postseason after securing the team's 15th roster spot. He's appeared in 26 games this season for Boston, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes. Despite signing a standard contract, Queta remains with the G League's Maine Celtics and is expected to play for the team in Game 1 of the G League Finals versus the Oklahoma City Blue on Tuesday.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Gets garbage-time burn
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Queta (knee) scored one point (0-1 FG, 1-2 FT) and added one rebound, one assist and one block over two minutes Monday in the Celtics' 121-99 win over the Trail Blazers.
Queta and fellow deep reserves JD Davison and Jaden Springer didn't enter the game until 1:54 remained in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics had essentially clinched the win. The appearance was Queta's first at the NBA level since Feb. 14, with the third-year center having recently missed about a week of action due to a hyperextended knee. The two-way center is approaching the maximum number of active games he's allotted at the NBA level this season, so Queta could soon be headed to the G League's Maine Celtics to pick up playing time.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Available Saturday
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Queta (knee) is available for Saturday's matchup with the Suns.
Queta was originally listed as probable for Saturday's contest after he had missed the Celtics' previous three contests with a hyperextended knee. Before sustaining the injury, Queta hadn't been a part of the Celtics' rotation, so he won't be guaranteed to see the court Saturday even with Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) ruled out.
