**CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Neemias Queta’s** life changed over the past 12 months. The occasional passerby would ask for a photograph around Lisbon and diehard Celtics fans knew the ascending Portuguese star would play a larger role in 2026. Then, Queta emerged as one of the NBA’s more productive centers, ran with the starting role for Boston and earned a fully-guaranteed $56 million extension through 2031.
That left Queta, at seven-feet tall, as one of his country’s most recognizable and important sporting figures and in a more exhausting role. At an event celebrating a court refurbishing by his company Hoopers, in a predominantly Portuguese neighborhood near Boston, Queta sat, signed autographs and took photos for nearly two hours.
“It’s been challenging I’d say, but it’s part of being seven-feet, too,” Queta told _CLNS Media_ in a Garden Report interview at the event. “So it’s part of the job, I’m starting to become more and more comfortable with it, and it’s something maybe a couple of years ago, I used to (say) maybe I want to be having all of this, and maybe now it’s not as good. But you just gotta take it as it is, take it with a grain of salt and being able to be grateful for where you’re at more than anything.”
Queta’s role should remain significant even with the arrival of free agent champion **Mitchell Robinson** from the Knicks and first-round big man **Chris Cenac Jr.** from Houston. Keith Smith reported this summer that Boston views Queta as the starter to begin training camp, which he’ll begin following the disappointment of a 1-3 collapse against the 76ers where he, **Nikola Vučević** and **Luka Garza** struggled to stay on the floor. Queta averaged 4.1 fouls in 21.7 minutes per game during the series, a nearly four-minute reduction from his regular season average time on the court.
He finished strong with 17 points and 11 rebounds on 7-for-8 shooting in Game 7 in a move to the bench as Boston’s second half comeback attempt fell short. The offseason provided needed rest, a full season as an NBA rotation regular piled bumps and bruises that he played through, then he joined Team Portugal for World Cup qualifiers where they beat Celtics teammate **Hugo González** and Spain for the first time in FIBA competition. Queta posted 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals in the win, shooting 5-for-10 before suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He returned three days later in a loss to Georgia, recording 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four blocks on 8-for-10 FG.
“I think obviously, it sounds cliche, but consistency is so key in this league,” Queta said. “I feel like the guys that really stand out are the ones that are able to be on the court consistently and having the trust of their teammates and coaches that they’ll be over there doing the same stuff over and over again. That’s what I wanted to be counted upon to do and I think that’s gonna be one of the next steps for us a group too. We had certain moments in the playoffs, we were up 3-1, and unfortunately we didn’t get the job done, but I think that word consistency is gonna be key for us this season and we can actually be really good if we’re consistent on the day-to-day stuff, being able to capitalize on other teams’ mistakes and I think our future’s really bright.”
Queta welcomed Robinson joining the team, thrilled that the Celtics don’t need to box out the historic offensive rebounder anymore. [**Payton Pritchard** praised that center position as a strength for Boston, now](https://www.clnsmedia.com/payton-pritchard-jaylen-brown-trade-celtics). He also acknowledged the challenges that come with integrating so many new players, including **Paul George** and **Mike Conley**, who Boston introduced last week with Robinson excused for personal reasons. **Jaylen Brown** mentioned Queta on his stream as one of his former teammates that reached out to him following the trade, and Brown played a leadership role in the ascent of Queta and other less experienced players on the roster.
Still, Queta expects a strong season, with George hosting **Jayson Tatum**, **Payton Pritchard**, Conley, **Jordan Walsh** and **Sam Hauser** for Los Angeles workouts to begin learning each other’s games last month. Queta, Garza, González and **Amari Williams** worked out with their national teams, while **Joe Mazzulla** visited numerous players on the roster, González in Spain, Queta in Portugal, Garza at his camp in Iowa and Walsh in Dallas, among others. Mazzulla is still the team’s strength, according to Queta, following his Coach of the Year campaign and the improvements across the roster he oversaw in 2025 before the disappointing playoff finish.
“When you got a coach like Joe, you can’t really count us out,” Queta said. “I think we got a year to prove it to a lot of people and specifically ourselves, so that’s the main thing I’m taking away from this season.”
“I got to spend time with him in Vegas … in Portugal … in Boston as well … None of the boxing, (but) I did play soccer with him a little one day,” he continued. “He’s ok. Rugged defender. He’s gonna always be solid with that. We’ve just been talking about how can we get better for next season? How can we become a better (form) of ourselves? How can we take the blueprint from other teams and apply it to ourselves. Stuff like that goes a long way and I think Joe’s really good at that. That’s why players want to run through a wall for him.”