In One Season, Neemias Queta Has Gone From Playing Garbage Time to Helping Create It

A lot had to go right for the Celtics to be where they are right now, 52-25 with a firm grip on the second seed in the Eastern Conference. There’s no one player or person solely responsible for them being where they are. 

But if we could pick one player, Neemias Queta might be that guy. 

Exactly one year ago, on April 4, 2025, Queta played less than two minutes of garbage time in a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns. In the 62 games he played last season, 24 of them involved less than minutes of playing time. He only had one such game this season. 

“It’s unbelievable,” Jayson Tatum said after beating the Milwaukee Bucks. “I couldn’t be more proud and happier for Neemi. The way he’s seeing the game, the leap that he’s made as a screener, as a passer. [He’s] somebody we can trust when we throw him the ball in the seams, finishing, protecting the rim.”

Queta’s year-to-year improvement has been off the charts. There is buzz for other players to win the Most Improved Player award, but it’s hard to imagine anyone improving more than he did not only from last season to this one, but from the beginning of the season to now. 

“He’s been doing it all year,” Derrick White said. “I think maybe at the beginning of the year, maybe we didn’t trust him as much as we do now. And every time we throw it to him, we just expect him to make the right read, and right play. He’s developed a lot of confidence, and we all have confidence in him.”

Confidence comes from repetition and doing the work, and Queta’s work has been paying off. Not only has he improved year-over-year, he’s improved as the season has gone along. Mistakes he was making early in the season have evaporated. 

He had his shaky moments getting the ball on short rolls and making a decision. Now he’s seeing all his options and making the right reads. He’s operating in the dunker spot much more effectively, reading his teammates and getting to the right spots. And now his chemistry with Tatum is already incredibly strong. 

“They started out switching, so Neemi did a good job in his screening, screen reads,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought our guys did a good job finding him. And then he finished, or he kicked out for open shots.”

Screening needs to be different in different situations, and everyone being on the same page with not only what reaction will be, but the timing of that reaction, is critically important. Against switches, quickly exiting the screen, or slipping it entirely, is an effective way to get open looks.

“Neemi is doing a great job of getting behind the defense and screening, kind of creating confusion,” White said. “He’s a guy we really trust to throw it to and he’s gonna make the right read and the right play.” 

Queta’s screening and quick rolls and slips destroyed the Bucks. He got to the rim for easy finishes to lead the Celtics with 13 points in the first quarter. But then he opened things up for the rest of his teammates by moving the ball nicely after Milwaukee adjusted. 

What he’s doing right now is a pretty good Luke Kornet imitation. He’s making all the right plays at the right times, giving Boston an option at center some thought was only possible on the trade market. A season that started with major questions at center is now about to wrap up with that weakness addressed by internal development. 

A year ago, he was playing in garbage time. Now, he’s helping create it. 

“He is an NBA starting big man,” Tatum said. “That’s who he is now, he’s only going to continue to get better.”