The Boston Celtics entered last season expecting a step back. Instead, they finished 56-26 and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown carried much of the scoring burden with Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the year. But the franchise also found an unexpected answer in the middle from 27YO star.
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Neemias Queta went from a reserve buried on the depth chart to a starting center who suddenly looked like a legitimate piece of Boston’s future. Kevin Chouinard believes the Portuguese star still isn’t getting nearly enough attention on the Celtics Daily Podcast with Bobby Manning.
“You’ve got Paul George, you know; you’ve got Queta, who I think is, you know, probably the most underrated player in the league.” Chouinard also pointed to what Queta could bring alongside the new addition, Mitchell Robinson.
“And that’s why I like the Celtics. Like you’re going to have a good, like a very good defensive center on the floor at all times with Mr. Robinson and Queta. Like you got 48 minutes of center play and the rim is going to be protected.”
That assessment comes after Queta put together the best season of his NBA career. He averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 76 games while starting 75 of them.
He also shot a career-best and franchise-record 65.3% from the field in his fifth NBA season. His 25.3 minutes per game were nearly double his workload from the previous season. The opportunity came after Boston reshaped its frontcourt.
Kristaps Porzingis was traded, Al Horford left for Golden State, and Luke Kornet was also gone. Suddenly, Queta had a clear path to regular minutes. He took advantage of it. His impact went beyond the box score. The Celtics star played 1,926 minutes after never reaching 1,000 in a season before. Boston posted an 8.6-point better net rating with him on the floor, according to ESPN’s Zach Kram.
Opponents also shot just 51% at the rim when Queta was the closest defender, which ranked seventh among 71 players who defended at least 200 shots. Those numbers help explain why Queta earned recognition beyond Boston.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley went even further, naming Queta the NBA’s most underrated player heading into the 2026-27 season. Buckley pointed to Queta’s first real opportunity as a full-time NBA starter and argued that his impact was a major reason the Celtics managed to stay competitive after stripping down its frontcourt.
ESPN, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach. Even though Queta missed the top 100 players list, she landed among the 10 players to watch for next season. The 27-year-old had never been a full-time NBA starter before 2025-26. His regular season was impressive, but the playoffs exposed some of the challenges he still has to overcome.
Queta battled foul trouble against Philadelphia and struggled to contain Joel Embiid as the series progressed. Boston ultimately fell in seven games. That is also why Robinson’s arrival could matter so much. Even the Celtics star appreciated his new teammate.
“I’m out there just welcoming my new teammates (with) open arms,” Queta said. “Mitchell’s going to be a great addition for us. I’m extremely happy I don’t have to go against him anymore because he used to get all these rebounds.”
The Celtics now have two centers capable of protecting the rim, attacking the offensive glass, and finishing around the basket.
Robinson brings a longer track record as an elite rebounder, while Queta enters the season with considerably more confidence after finally getting consistent NBA minutes.
Boston has since rewarded Queta with a four-year, $56 million extension, further signaling how much the organization values his development. With Jayson Tatum and Paul George handling much of the perimeter workload, Queta will have an important role in the middle.
He already showed he can handle starter-level minutes. Now he has to prove that his breakout season was the start of something bigger rather than a one-year jump. If he does, the attention and prediction about his next season could generate more accolades.