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Portuguese Power Rising in Boston: Neemias Queta Projected to Start at Center for Celtics After Dominant Offseason Surge 🇵🇹☘️
Boston, MA — July 31, 2025
In a twist few saw coming, Neemias Queta, the 7’0″ center out of Portugal, is making waves in Celtics training camp — and according to multiple team insiders, is projected to start at center for the 2025–26 season.
Once seen as a developmental project, Queta has erupted onto the Celtics’ radar with a commanding offseason performance that has team officials buzzing. The 25-year-old, who re-signed with Boston last summer on a team-friendly deal, spent the offseason training in Lisbon and Miami, focusing on footwork, vertical quickness, and developing a mid-range jumper that has reportedly become “dangerously consistent,” according to a Celtics assistant.
“He’s not just a big body anymore — he’s a presence,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said after day three of camp. “He’s moving like a forward, thinking like a veteran, and protecting the rim like it’s sacred ground.”
After years behind veteran bigs like Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, Queta is now ready to anchor the Celtics’ defense — and perhaps give the team its first European starting center since Dino Rađa.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum couldn’t hide his excitement when asked about Queta’s rise:
“Man, Nē [Queta] has leveled up. He’s contesting everything, setting monster screens, and even hitting elbow jumpers now. You feel him out there. He’s earned this shot.”
Analysts point to Queta’s defensive rating, which improved drastically in limited minutes last season. In just 14.2 minutes per game, he averaged 1.3 blocks, 6.1 rebounds, and shot 64% from the field — mostly off offensive boards and quick slips to the rim. But now, scouts say, he’s added a face-up game and better lateral agility, allowing him to guard in space.
Former Celtic and current team consultant Kendrick Perkins praised the move:
“Listen, Boston’s got the stars. What they needed was that grit in the paint — and Queta brings that African-European toughness. He’s got old-school hustle with new-school versatility.”
But beyond the hardwood, Queta’s ascension is historic.
He’s the first Portuguese-born player to play in the NBA, and now potentially the first to start on one of the league’s most storied franchises. In Portugal, he’s already a national icon. Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio displayed a 40-foot projection of him in Celtics green after the announcement.
“This means everything,” Queta said in a rare post-practice interview. “For me, for Portugal, for everyone back home who dreams but thinks it’s too far. I’m here to prove it’s possible.”
With a chip on his shoulder, untapped ceiling, and an entire country behind him, Neemias Queta isn’t just chasing a starting spot — he’s carving out a legacy.
And in Boston — where banners hang heavy and expectations are brutal — a new name may soon echo in the Garden:
Queta.
Would you like a version told from a fan’s POV or framed as a mock feature from The Players’ Tribune?
