As each day of the 2026 NBA offseason passes, we inch closer to the start of the 2026-27 regular season for the Boston Celtics. And as Opening Night draws nearer, the outline of the roster that will take the floor for Game 1 of 82 is starting to come into focus as well.
After Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, it became clear that this is a critical season for the team's current contention arc, with the team being remade to maximize the rest of the team's sole superstar, Jayson Tatum. What is the ceiling, floor, and our expectation for each of the players currently under contract with Boston given this sea change in structure for the team?
To such an end, Daniel Donabedian
and Justin Quinn of the Celtics Wire took a player-by-player deep dive into the answers for these questions. So let's dive into our assessment for Neemias Queta for this edition of our player projections for the campaign soon to arrive.
Neemias Queta - center
Ceiling
JQ: After Queta's unexpected jump in the regular season followed by a lack of one in the postseason, trying to predict what Queta's ceiling might be is no easy task. I do expect him to experiment with scoring further away from the basket if not necessarily from the 3-point line, which ought to boost his scoring some while perhaps dinging his efficiency a bit as well.
But the absolute ceiling for the Portuguese center? Adding an above-the-break trailing 3, extending his range elsewhere on the court, improving his passing game, and then doing most of this consistently in the playoffs without the constant fouling. Unlikely, but at least conceivable.
DD: It’s not an exaggeration to deem last season a breakout campaign for Queta. The 7-footer delivered in the starting lineup and was even a dark horse candidate for Most Improved Player. He probably won’t be in contention for that award this upcoming season, yet he could still reach his ceiling as a dependable starting big man for the Celtics who’s a top-10 to top-15 center in the NBA thanks to his shot-blocking and work around the rim.
Floor
JQ: Adding Mitchell Robinson ought to take some pressure off Queta, but the way the human mind works can be weird. There is a world where having such an accomplished player competing for minutes might actually see the big man regress some as he gets in his own head, or tries to do or add too much.
To be frank I don't think this is especially likely either, but we've seen those games from Neemi that inexplicably cause him to do his best deer-in-headlights impersonation.
DD: Queta’s floor, once again, might not arrive during the regular season. It could come in the postseason, when foul trouble took him off the floor for critical moments in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. Those instances of early fouls could result in first-year Celtic Mitchell Robinson outpacing him in minutes — and maybe even cause Queta to lose his starting job.
Expectation
JQ: Somewhere between the two unlikely poles I highlighted above is the sweet spot where we can expect to find Queta's actual performance in 2026-27. Last season, the Utah State alum logged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in 25.3 minutes per game.
With Robinson on the roster and a lot of mouths to feed in the frontcourt beyond those two, that playing time might dip a bit to around 24 minutes a game while his counting stats remain largely the same. That might not look like progress at first glance, but given the context around Queta, replicating those numbers with less opportunity is about what I expect from him in the regular season,. And I expect him to mostly get the fouling under control in the playoffs.
DD: While the playoffs were far from a shining moment for Queta, I still envision him in the Celtics’ starting lineup. He earned the trust of Joe Mazzulla last season and Robinson hasn’t been a genuine starter in years due to injury issues.
Regardless of whether or not he starts, Queta should average over 20 minutes per game and continue to be a force in the paint and on the glass. It’d be difficult for him to take another gigantic leap in his game, however, I think he’s more than capable of improving enough to remain a Celtics fixture.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ceiling, floor, expectations: Neemias Queta with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27
