NBA Writer Says Celtics ‘Would Probably Be A .500 Team’ Without Neemias Queta’s Contributions

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comJanuary 5, 2026

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NBA Writer Says Celtics ‘Would Probably Be A .500 Team’ Without Neemias Queta’s Contributions

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Preseason expectations for the 2025-26 Boston Celtics were mixed, but few, if any, experts had the team pegged for a 22-12 start as the campaign reaches its halfway point.

Many media members believed that with Jayson Tatum’s absence for much of the year and the departures of Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet, the Celtics would be a .500 team this winter.

However, with its current three-game winning streak, Boston is set to enter its four-game homestand Monday night against the Chicago Bulls with a record 10 games over .500.

The guidance of head coach Joe Mazzulla and the exceptional play of Jaylen Brown were certainly the main reasons for this success, but the contributions of first-year starter Neemias Queta were also crucial.

The center is a contender for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award and has received plenty of praise from The Ringer’s Michael Pina.

The latter included Queta on Monday in his list of “eight NBA players who are taking a big step forward this season”.

“If you thought the Celtics would be really good this season, congratulations, you’re a lot smarter than me. And if one of the fundamentals of your argument was ‘Neemias Queta will become a reliable two-way center who will do much more than run the court, protect the rim and somehow avoid persistent foul trouble,’ my compliments: You are a basketball prophet,” the senior writer said. “Given their lack of depth at the position and the importance of his size and auxiliary shot creation to how they operate on both ends, the Celtics would likely be a .500 team if Queta wasn’t able to handle all of these increased responsibilities. The fact that he might deserve some recognition.”

With the schedule moved to 2026, there is now a large enough sample size to say the former second-round pick is having the best season of his career.

Queta has played in and started 32 of the Celtics’ first 34 games this season and leads the team in rebounds (7.7) per game and field goal percentage (.660).