When Neemias Queta first signed to the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2023-24 season, the center position was occupied by three veterans, but he continued to do the work to improve his game, which he gave credit to his former teammate, Jaylen Brown, for helping him along the way in a heartfelt response.

“It’s not easy, I think you feel for him. Obviously, it wasn’t easy for them [Celtics] as well. But at the end of the day, it’s part of the business. Jaylen’s a guy that you can’t replace, in the city, really hard to replace on the court as well. He did so much for Boston in general and he will definitely be missed. I just wanted to show him a sense of gratitude for pushing me daily and showing me that I’m his guy; [Brown said] ‘I’m still going to be around, anything you need you can reach out and we can arrange things.’ I think he just pushed me to be better every day by his edge and intensity and his ability to corral us as a group, it was really really special.”

Queta started the season on a two-way contract and after a stellar season in Maine with Boston’s G League affiliate, the Celtics converted his contract from a two-way deal into a standard contract, which allowed him to be playoff eligible for Boston.

The following season (2024-25), Queta signed a three-year, $7.2 million contract with the Celtics. He played in 62-games (six starts) in the regular season and only in four of the 11 games in the playoffs. He also became the first Portuguese player to start in an NBA game this season.

Last offseason, the Celtics parted ways with their top three centers- Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet- and relied on Queta to be the starting center in 2025-26. Queta stepped to the task by having the best season of his career, averaging 10.2 points (65.3% FG), 8.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.

At the end of last season, Queta finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting and was also awarded a new four-year, $56 million contract to keep him in Boston through the 2030-31 season.

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