Neemias Queta spent last season forcing the league to take a second look, and Bleacher Report just gave him the kind of recognition that says the message is starting to land. In its list of the NBA’s most underrated players, Queta landed at No. 1.
That’s a pretty striking turn for a player whose path to this point was anything but straightforward. Queta was a second-round pick in 2021, fought for a spot with the Kings, spent most of that stretch with their G-League affiliate, and was waived in 2023. Boston brought him in on a two-way deal that same year, and he put together a solid season mostly in Maine before earning a standard contract in 2024.
Even then, he was still buried on the depth chart behind Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, with no obvious route to steady NBA minutes.
Then the Celtics changed the picture completely. With all three of those big men gone, Queta moved from the margins into a day-one starting role for Boston.
He didn’t just handle it - he ran with it. At 26, he delivered a breakout season and became one of the biggest reasons the Celtics outperformed expectations, finishing with 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley highlighted the numbers behind the rise, noting that Queta’s advanced metrics were eye-catching and that his win shares per 48 minutes were behind only Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Duren, and Victor Wembanyama. Buckley also pointed out the obvious but important detail: last season was Queta’s first real chance to play rotation minutes in the NBA.
That context matters. Queta is now 27, has a full season of experience, and is locked in on a new contract extension that keeps him in Boston for the next five seasons.
The roster changes this offseason should play even more to his strengths on both ends, and he’s no longer being treated like a stopgap. He’s part of the core now.
A year ago, that would have sounded like a stretch. Today, it looks like the league is simply late to the party.
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Hugo Gonzalez Just Got A Year 2 Wake Up Call
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For Boston, though, the bigger issue is what comes next. Gonzalez already saw his playing time dip late last season after Jayson Tatum returned, and the Celtics know he can be useful when the door opens, but the path ahead looks different now with Jaylen Brown traded and a larger role waiting. The question is whether Gonzalez can turn those flashes into something steadier when the Celtics need him to take on more responsibility. [Read more 🡒]