Utah State's Neemias Queta Worked Out for Sixers Ahead of NBA Draft

As the 2021 NBA Draft quickly approaches, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to work out players they could potentially select to get a feel for how they might want to approach the big event next week.

Last season, the Sixers went into the draft with a handful of picks but used just three of them. Landing Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed, many would say that Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and the rest of the Sixers' front office knocked last year's draft out of the park.

Soon, we'll see what happens this year. As it stands, the Sixers possess a late first-round pick and the 50th pick in the second round. As far as pick 28 goes, Daryl Morey wouldn't rule out moving on from it by trading up, back, or out entirely.

As for pick 50, there's a good chance the Sixers might hold onto it as they could grab a valuable young prospect to develop for cheap. Lately, Philly's been looking at potential backup big men that could be available in the second round.

On Wednesday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Sixers worked out a notable big man out of Iowa in Luka Garza. Shortly after, Pompey also reported that the 76ers hosted Utah State center Neemias Queta as well.

Former Utah State center Neemias Queta also worked out for the #Sixers today, according to sources. The 7-foot, 245-pounder averaged 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 blocks & 2 assists this season as a jr. Some say he’s a borderline 1st-round talent but is projected to go in 2d. pic.twitter.com/t7jbKfeCy1
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 21, 2021

Queta is a seven-foot-tall, 22-year-old Portugal-born prospect. In 2018, he received interest from several notable NCAA programs before ultimately deciding to sign with Utah State. During his freshman season, Queta started in all 35 games.

Averaging 11 points per game, the Utah State big man was highly efficient from the floor as he drained 61-percent of his field-goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Queta was also beastly on the boards as he came down with 8.9 rebounds per game and also averaged two blocks on the defensive end.

Following two successful seasons, Queta really made a name for himself during his third and final year in college. In 29 games, the big man averaged a career-high in points with 14.9 PPG. A career-high in free throw percentage, shooting 70.7-percent from the line, as well as a career-high of over three blocks per game and 10 rebounds per game.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_