Celtics’ Neemias Queta Tabbed As Top Contender For This NBA Award
The buzz around Boston’s frontcourt depth has taken an unexpected turn, with Neemias Queta emerging as a popular pick in league circles as a leading contender for a major NBA individual award this season. For a player who arrived on a two-way deal and has spent much of his young career on the fringes of rotations, that rise in perception underscores how quickly the Celtics’ developmental pipeline can reshape a narrative.
Queta’s candidacy is rooted in a simple reality: he gives Boston a different look at center. While the Celtics lean on established veterans to anchor their starting unit, Queta brings a blend of size, mobility, and activity that fits seamlessly into the team’s defensive identity. His ability to protect the rim, finish plays as a vertical threat, and rebound outside his area has turned him from depth insurance into a legitimate impact piece when called upon.
In award conversations, voters often gravitate toward stories that reflect growth and adaptability. Queta checks both boxes. He has transitioned from a project big to a trusted rotation option, and he has done it within the pressure cooker of a contender’s environment. That combination makes him a natural fit in discussions for honors that recognize breakout contributors or elite reserves, especially those who influence winning in more subtle ways.
From a league-wide perspective, Queta’s rise also highlights how teams are rethinking the center position. Rather than chasing only floor-spacing bigs, contenders are rediscovering the value of traditional anchors who can defend in space, run the floor, and punish smaller lineups on the glass. If he continues to impact games in limited minutes, his efficiency and defensive presence could resonate with voters who study lineups and on/off data as closely as box scores.
For the Celtics, having a potential award-level contributor emerge from the back end of the roster is a luxury. For Queta, it is validation that his path through the margins of the league may be leading to a far more prominent role, and possibly, league-wide recognition by season’s end.
Queta’s candidacy is rooted in a simple reality: he gives Boston a different look at center. While the Celtics lean on established veterans to anchor their starting unit, Queta brings a blend of size, mobility, and activity that fits seamlessly into the team’s defensive identity. His ability to protect the rim, finish plays as a vertical threat, and rebound outside his area has turned him from depth insurance into a legitimate impact piece when called upon.
In award conversations, voters often gravitate toward stories that reflect growth and adaptability. Queta checks both boxes. He has transitioned from a project big to a trusted rotation option, and he has done it within the pressure cooker of a contender’s environment. That combination makes him a natural fit in discussions for honors that recognize breakout contributors or elite reserves, especially those who influence winning in more subtle ways.
From a league-wide perspective, Queta’s rise also highlights how teams are rethinking the center position. Rather than chasing only floor-spacing bigs, contenders are rediscovering the value of traditional anchors who can defend in space, run the floor, and punish smaller lineups on the glass. If he continues to impact games in limited minutes, his efficiency and defensive presence could resonate with voters who study lineups and on/off data as closely as box scores.
For the Celtics, having a potential award-level contributor emerge from the back end of the roster is a luxury. For Queta, it is validation that his path through the margins of the league may be leading to a far more prominent role, and possibly, league-wide recognition by season’s end.
