Celtics Big Man Predicted to Turn Heads This Year

Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen on the court before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

A key Boston Celtics big man could take a major leap in 2025-26.

During a conversation with longtime Celtics reporter A. Sherrod Blakely of CLNS Media on his "The Big 3 NBA Podcast," his CLNS Media colleague Noa Dalzell submitted that former fourth-string Boston center Neemias Queta, if given the proper reps, could emerge as a legitimate starting-quality five.

Big Year loading for Neemias Queta?@NoaDalzell thinks it could be

“Everything’s king of aligning for him to be a very surprisingly impactful player next season…I wouldn’t be shocked if he averages…12 and 12 next year and becomes like a really solid NBA caliber center.” pic.twitter.com/vbjsbgHN0V

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) August 31, 2025

“Everything’s king of aligning for him to be a very surprisingly impactful player next season," Dalzell said. "I wouldn’t be shocked if he averages…12 [points] and 12 [rebounds] next year and becomes like a really solid NBA caliber center.”

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Queta will be competing for minutes with free agent signings Chris Boucher, a two-time champion with the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, and former Minnesota Timberwolves part-time rotation player Luka Garza. Bench power forward/center Xavier Tillman could also conceivably earn some center minutes, although at 6-foot-8 he may quickly find himself outmatched.

While playing for his native Portugal in EuroBasket this summer, Queta has expanded his scoring portfolio — an exciting development for a very depleted Boston frontcourt.

.@nemi1599 Queta looking like JB @FCHWPO out there 👀

Nice step through to score on @kporzee: pic.twitter.com/dc6IOJnl26

— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) September 1, 2025

The 26-year-old Utah State product is in the second season of a three-year, $7.2 million minimum deal. During the Celtics' 2023-24 championship season and 2024-25, the 7-footer suffered some rotational squeeze behind three centers.

Now, with former starting center Kristaps Porzingis now plying his trade for the Atlanta Hawks, third-string backup Luke Kornet agreeing to a three-year, $41 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs to back up All-Star five Victor Wembanyama, and sixth man big Al Horford likely to depart for the Golden State Warriors, Queta is now free of that logjam.

Queta Angling to Make a Big Impact in 2025-26 Season

Will Queta even knock out Boucher or Garza to earn the Celtics' starting nod? Will Boucher, who's a bit slimmer and has a decent jumper, be shifted to a starting power forward role? These are the questions that head coach Joe Mazzulla must answer next year.

Across 62 healthy games (six starts) during the Celtics' 61-21 run last year, Queta averaged 5.0 points on 65 percent shooting from the floor and 75.4 percent shooting from the free throw line,3.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 13.9 minutes per.

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