Neemias Queta started the Celtics road trip this week without ever posting a double-double in his NBA career. Seven days later, he has already tallied two, posting his second straight on Saturday afternoon in Boston’s blowout win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Queta finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the rout, including a team-high eight free throw attempts, helping the visitors cruise to their second straight blowout victory against a Western Conference playoff opponent.
There were plenty of contributions to go around on Saturday with six Celtics finishing in double figures in the win. However, the steady play of Boston’s two-way big man has been crucial on the team’s trip and throughout the entire season. Boston has been without two bigs due to injury for every game thus far out west and Queta has been far better than the usual emergency depth that could be expected from a two-way player. Instead, he’s averaging 10 points and 10.7 rebounds in his last three games, including his first career double-double against a Kings team that waived him to add JaVale McGee just weeks before the season began.
Brad Stevens was waiting with an open roster spot in September and some opportunity for the big man after the Kings dumped Queta, taking advantage of a changed philosophy this offseason by being patient with the team’s two-way spots this offseason. That mindset paid off as Queta saw a chance to play in Boston as a depth big despite being courted by numerous suitors.
Three months later, Queta is standing out from the pack on several fronts. He’s turned into the best rebounder on Boston’s roster, helping Boston’s resurgence on the offensive glass this year. His steady presence is also keeping the minutes onus down on guys like Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis even as injuries pile up periodically across the roster. Queta played 23 minutes in Saturday’s win and his value was shown by Joe Mazzulla pulling him ahead of garbage time in the final five minutes of the game. He’s quickly moved into a valuable member of Boston’s big depth chart.
Where Queta goes from here with Boston will be fascinating to watch. The team has an open roster spot right now on the 15-man roster but they have no intentions of filling it yet in order to maintain flexibility heading into the trade deadline. There is also no need to add Queta to the 15-man roster just yet since the team has plenty of games remaining for his two-way eligibility in the regular season.
However, as the team considers upgrading the roster around the trade deadline, one thing they will need to keep in mind is the prospect of having Queta available for the postseason. That would require signing him to the 15-man roster before the regular season ends. Queta still has one year left of two-way eligibility after this year so Boston could try to maintain his rights beyond this season in that spot. However, he’s already playing well enough this year that it’s hard to foresee him not getting a guaranteed deal somewhere.
The Celtics may want that to be in Boston, not only to lock him in for the long term at a team-friendly price, but also to ensure he’s available as extra depth in Boston if extra injuries hit in the playoffs.
There probably won’t be any clarity or changes on the roster front until February for the Portuguese big man. However, his steady play now makes him look like a better bet to be a potential long-term part of Boston’s future.
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