Neemias Queta has already made history in his NBA career.
The Boston Celtics center is the first Portuguese-born player to play in the league.
This season, though, Queta is doing more than that. He's proving to the Celtics that he belongs.
The Celtics took a risk in the offseason by letting Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis all go elsewhere. It created a big void in the middle.
Queta has filled it admirably.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote on Friday that Queta "might be a starting-caliber center." That's not something that was viewed as a certainty when this season got underway.
"When Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford departed via trade or free agency this offseason, a giant hole opened," Bontemps writes. "The Celtics turned to the 26-year-old Queta to fill the gap. He has done so admirably, with Boston 5.4 points per 100 possessions better when he plays, with a defense that would rank second in the league when he's on the court. Queta, who is the first Portuguese-born player in NBA history, has played a significant role in Boston's impressive first half without injured superstar Jayson Tatum."
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Bontemps also quoted a scout on Queta.
"I think he's a starter," a Western Conference scout told Bontemps. "He does everything you want in a center."
From a traditional stats perspective, Queta is averaging 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 65.7% from the field.
Boston will gladly take that as Queta continues to prove he can make it work as an NBA starter.
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