Neemias Queta made an emphatic first impression Wednesday in his EuroBasket debut.
The Celtics middle racked up 23 factors, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks and two steals to energy his native Portugal to a 62-50 win over Czechia in Europe’s quadrennial worldwide basketball event. It was Portugal’s first EuroBasket victory since 2007.
Queta was a plus-21 in his 31 minutes, taking pictures 11-for-15 from the sphere. Most of these buckets have been at or close to the rim – the place the 7-footer does most of his work for Boston – however he additionally opened the scoring by drilling a straightaway 3-pointer.
Neemias Queta, welcome to the #EuroBasket! 🔥
📺 https://t.co/O8gpIsQl2R pic.twitter.com/9WfqQ9xSF7
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 27, 2025
That’s one thing Queta has by no means executed for the Celtics. In his 4 NBA seasons, the 26-year-old has tried simply three threes and made zero.
The Celtics even have by no means crafted a sport plan round Queta the way in which Portugal did – unsurprising contemplating he’s each the one Portuguese participant ever to win an NBA championship and the one present or former NBAer on its EuroBasket roster. Regardless of his monster stat line, teammate Travante Williams stated Portugal ought to have executed much more to get Queta concerned.
“I do know he had like 23 (factors), however we nonetheless didn’t give him the ball sufficient,” Williams stated, by way of FIBA’s game recap. “I believe if we have been to offer him the ball like six extra possessions, he’d have 37 factors or one thing. He’s a big-time participant, EuroBasket is the proper place for him to indicate his expertise and typically it doesn’t get acknowledged within the NBA. However he’s enjoying nice. That’s our man. We need to undergo him.”
An necessary caveat when evaluating Queta’s huge day is that Czechia additionally boasts only one participant with NBA expertise: Atlanta Hawks reserve guard Vit Krejci. Queta will face a lot harder competitors because the group stage progresses, starting Friday towards a stacked Serbian squad led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
After that, he’ll match up towards Houston Rockets All-Star huge man Alperen Sengun and Turkey on Saturday, then meet former Celtics teammate Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia subsequent Monday. (Porzingis, who was traded to Atlanta this offseason, stated he’s absolutely recovered from the mystery illness that severely restricted him throughout Boston’s ill-fated playoff run.)
The Celtics shall be hoping Queta can maintain his personal towards these proficient NBA bigs – as a result of they’ll want him to this season. The departures of Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet rocketed Queta from fourth to first on the depth chart, setting him up for what must be the biggest workload of his professional profession to this point.
Final season, he appeared in 63 video games with six begins; averaged 12.9 factors, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes; and was not a part of head coach Joe Mazzulla’s playoff rotation.
A leap in manufacturing and consistency from Queta would offer a significant enhance to a Boston frontcourt that at the moment seems like one of the NBA’s weakest. Veteran newcomers Luka Garza and Chris Boucher, second-round draft choose Amari Williams and seldom-used holdover Xavier Tillman additionally will compete for minutes when coaching camp begins subsequent month.
“That group is not going to be the group that individuals will single out based mostly on paper, on what they’ve executed with their careers to date, as our strongest place,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens informed reporters in July. “Nevertheless it’s as much as them to show it in any other case.”
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