After the Boston Celtics’ third preseason game, a 112-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 11, the Neemias Queta hype train has departed the station. In seven minutes on the court, Queta made 4 of 4 field goal attempts and 2 of 2 free throw attempts for a total of 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists. In relation to the Celtics, he had the third-highest plus/minus rating after Sam Hauser and Dalano Banton.
With the departure of Robert Williams III in the Jrue Holiday trade, there’s certainly an opening for Queta to play his way into the rotation despite owning a two-way contract. Boston has the means to ditch one of their non-guaranteed role players to open up a roster spot for Queta.
After the C’s second win of the preseason over the Sixers, they may just have to — with the hype dialed up to 11 following the small-sample show Queta put on in Philadelphia.
Analysts intensify their promotion of Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta
Several notable names in the Boston Celtics community strongly endorsed the former Sacramento Kings fan favorite after his breakout game in green.
“Get Neemias Queta some minutes with the regulars in the next game,” Locked On Celtics’ John Karalis prefaced before saying, “Let’s see how he does with those guys and against opponent regulars.”
“Neemias Queta isn’t the same swat-it-out-of-the-sky rim protector as Rob Williams, but with his size and strength he’ll have opponents checking their healthcare plan before driving,” Heavy’s Steve Bulpett wrote. “A nice element to have on the roster. Red would have loved him.”
“Neemias Queta is running to the rim with FORCE tonight,” CelticsBlog’s Jack Simone prefaced before saying, “He’s going to be a VERY intriguing player in Maine this year. Could turn into a guy who lands a standard deal down the line if he develops well.”
Tomek Kordylewski, a well-known creator of YouTube highlights, predicted that the Celtics would have to change Neemias Queta’s two-way contract into a normal one if he continued to play this way.
Can Queta turn the buzz into a role in the regular rotation? There are still two preseason games left to learn the answer to that query.
