Portugal’s trailblazing basketball star Neemias Queta has been ranked the NBA’s most underrated player by US sports outlet Bleacher Report following a breakthrough season with the Boston Celtics.
The 26-year-old centre topped the publication’s list of the league’s 10 most underrated players after establishing himself as a key part of Boston’s starting line-up during the 2025/26 campaign.
As Bleacher Report points out, Queta played a crucial role in helping the Celtics overcome concerns about their frontcourt after the team reshaped its roster last summer.
The article praises the Portuguese international’s all-round contribution, highlighting not only his rebounding, rim protection and finishing around the basket but also his screening, passing and decision-making.
Queta – who in 2021 became the first Portuguese player ever drafted into the NBA – averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 combined steals and blocks per game, while shooting 65.3% from the field in just over 25 minutes per game.
Bleacher Report also pointed to advanced analytics that underline Queta’s impact. His Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) – a metric that measures a player’s overall contribution to his team’s performance – ranked him in the 95th percentile across the NBA. Meanwhile, his Win Shares per 48 minutes, which estimates how much a player contributes to winning games while on the court, was the fifth-highest in the league, behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Jalen Duren and Victor Wembanyama.
“Expectations obviously sold super short on Queta last summer, but could the same be happening again?” the article asks, suggesting the Portuguese centre has yet to receive the recognition his performances warrant.
It concludes that Queta should now be considered “a first-paragraph part of the story of the Celtics’ success”, arguing that his first full season as a regular rotation player showed he is capable of playing a much bigger role in the years ahead.
Queta, who became the first Portuguese player to win an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2025, has steadily established himself in the league after beginning his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings.
The recognition comes just weeks after Queta secured the biggest contract of his career, agreeing a four-year, $56 million (€48m) extension with the Boston Celtics. The deal, first reported by ESPN insider Shams Charania and made official on July 6, followed a breakout season in which the Portuguese centre established himself as a key part of Boston’s rotation.