The Celtics New Starting Center Neemias Queta Just Put Up One Of The Most Dominant EuroBasket Debuts In The Last 30 Years

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Finally, after waiting all month, EuroBasket is officially underway. The tune up games were fun and all, but those were just the appetizer. We've now moved on to the main course and boy does it feel great to be back. With this tournament running from today through mid September and then the NBA's preseason starting in early October, basketball is officially back in our lives again. 

Part of the fun of EuroBasket is watching all the current NBA stars participate, whether it's Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Franz Wagner, Lauri Markkanen etc, and for my own personal rooting interest, that means my full attention is on the play of Neemias Queta and Portugal. 

It's no secret that the starting frontcourt for my beloved Boston Celtics on paper is a gigantic dumpster fire. Some might call it hot dogshit. I suppose that's what happens when you go from a center rotation of Al Horford/Kristaps Porzingis/Luke Kornet to a new grouping of Neemias Queta/Luka Garza/Amari Williams (rookie). Their entire frontcourt situation (along with their unproven young wing depth) is a main reason why I think you're looking at a mid-30s win type of season as the Celts navigate their "gap year", which is fine for this year and is basically by design given everything the team had to do to get under the 2nd apron this summer.

If there's one thing the next wave of this roster is going to need to find, it's a center of the future. This isn't news, we all knew this was the situation over the last few years as Horford aged (allegedly) and KP's availability was…let's say….inconsistent, and Kornet was playing his way into a massive payday. Whether that player is going to come through the Draft or free agency, the point is it's a position Brad Stevens has to figure out, and quickly.

Well, what if that guy is actually on the roster already??

What if that guy is actually Neemias Queta??

OK, come on. Stop laughing. I'll give you another few minutes to get it out of your system, but then it's time to get serious.

I'll give you a pass if you haven't been keeping tabs on how Queta has looked in the EuroBasket tune up games (he's been great), but how about his debut today which turned out to be one of the best debuts in the last 30 years of the tournament?!?!?!?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh did you see how smooth that opening 3PM was??!?!?!?

How about being on the court for 31 minutes and not fouling out? That's what we in the biz call progress baby!!

And if you think I give a shit about the competition or any of that nonsense, you are mistaken. I care about production, and I care about Queta very clearly looking like the best player on the floor. All I'm looking for during this tournament are signs that Queta can continue to develop into perhaps the center of the future, or at the very least a more dependable rotation big. He was a bit up and down last year in his limited opportunities, and given the fact that this year he's been thrown into the fire as the starting center, any sort of legitimate leap is a BIG DEAL for this roster. 

Why? 

Go ahead and look at the Center free agent market this summer. It's horrendous. Then go look at Centers in the league who make under $22M (KP TPE) that you could in theory trade for. Guess what? They all stink. Meanwhile, Queta is entering his age 26 season, and is only on the books for $2.3M this year and $2.6M next year. If he's developed into a legit rotation center and possibly a passable starter? The value there is insane, and it then allows Brad Stevens to use his roster-building tools in other areas, which would be a huge bonus.

When thinking of how this might all translate to the NBA season, I'm not asking for much. Can Queta basically replicate the Luke Kornet role/season? Can he build off his good passing instincts and get better at making quicker decisions? Can he learn to protect the rim without fouling every 5 seconds? Can he improve his lateral quickness and be passable in space? 

If you're telling me we could very well be seeing an improved version of this player

then I do truly believe there's something to the idea that Queta can be a piece moving forward for the next iteration of the roster. Remember, that's really all the 2025-26 Celtics season is about. Trying to figure out who is worth keeping around for when Jayson Tatum returns and it's time to get back to building a title-contending roster. Given the positional need, Queta's age, his contract, and the fact that he looks to be improving his game,  I see no reason why Neemias Queta can't solidify his spot moving forward. 

Sure, it's just one game of EuroBasket. I think we all understand that. But you're lying to yourself if you weren't intrigued by what he was able to do in that debut and what it could potentially mean moving forward. Good start!