Celtics' Neemias Queta: Used sparingly again in win
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Queta provided four points (2-4 FG) and three rebounds in six minutes during Wednesday's 132-102 win over the Suns.
Queta's role continues to underwhelm, with him now having played fewer than 10 minutes in five straight games. It's been an up-and-down season for Queta, who at one point played as the primary backup center. On the whole, there has been very little to get excited about, with Queta averaging 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 13.8 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Muted role continues
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Queta recorded four points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT) and two rebounds across nine minutes during Tuesday's 104-96 win over Brooklyn.
Queta was used sparingly off the bench again, an all too familiar story when it comes to assessing what has been a disappointing season. Even with both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford missing time throughout the season, Queta has been unable to find consistent minutes. Having suited up on 53 occasions, he is averaging just 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Back to bench Saturday
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Queta is not in the Celtics' starting lineup against the Lakers on Saturday, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta made his sixth start of the season Thursday against the 76ers and finished with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 24 minutes. He'll come off the bench Saturday due to the return of Al Horford, but Queta and Luke Kornet should still see minutes off the bench due to the continued absence of Kristaps Porzingis (illness).
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Promoted to starting role
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Queta is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the 76ers, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
The Celtics will rest most of their regulars, except Derrick White and Jayson Tatum, so they're tweaking the starting five considerably. Queta will start in the frontcourt alongside Luke Kornet, though how many minutes he'll end up seeing remains uncertain.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Flirts with double-double off bench
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Queta supplied eight points (4-5 FG), 10 rebounds and one assist across 17 minutes during Sunday's 110-103 win over the Nuggets.
Queta provided a nice lift off the Celtics bench Sunday, leading all second unit players in rebounds while finishing two points short of a double-double. Queta matched a season high in rebounds, having now hauled in 10 boards on two occasions.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Good to go Tuesday
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Queta (illness) is available for Tuesday's game against the Raptors.
A non-COVID illness prevented Queta from playing in Sunday's win against the Knicks, but the fourth-year big man has recovered enough to be cleared to play Tuesday. With Al Horford (toe) and Luke Kornet (personal) both ruled out, Queta should see a heavy dosage of playing time behind and alongside Kristaps Porzingis.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Probable for Tuesday
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Queta (illness) is probable for Tuesday's matchup against the Raptors, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta is likely to return to game action after missing Sunday's win over the Knicks due to a non-COVID illness. The big man has received inconsistent playing time over his last five outings, during which he has averaged 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds across 9.4 minutes per contest. However, Queta could see an uptick in playing time Tuesday with Luke Kornet (personal) sidelined, especially if Al Horford (toe) is downgraded from questionable to out.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Downgraded to out Sunday
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Queta (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Knicks, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta has held a sporadic depth role in Boston's frontcourt this season, but he'll join Xavier Tillman (knee) in street clothes Sunday, which could open up more minutes for newcomer Torrey Craig. Queta's next chance to suit up will come Tuesday in Toronto.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Listed questionable for Sunday
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Queta is questionable for Sunday's game against the Knicks due to a non-COVID illness, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Queta has been a depth option in the frontcourt all season long, but he's in danger of missing Sunday's rivalry matchup against the Knicks due to an illness. A decision on his status will likely be made closer to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET tipoff, but even if he's available, he's not likely to have a big impact in the rotation.
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Celtics' Neemias Queta: Efficient night in win
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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: 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: 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: 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.
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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.
