Given the absence of star forward Jayson Tatum for a majority of the campaign, the Boston Celtics had a better-than-expected 2025-26 season.
The Celtics finished the season with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and they almost advanced in postseason play before being upset by the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the first round.
Jaylen Brown received much of the credit for keeping the Celtics afloat in Tatum’s absence, but Neemias Queta also deserves some praise for his impact last season. Queta slid into a starting spot for the first time in his career and provided Boston with some solid production in the form of per game averages of 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Neemias Queta Named NBA’s Most Underrated Player
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 09: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics reacts after Sam Hauser #30 scored a three point basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 09, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images)
Despite his productive play, Queta remains largely unheralded outside of Boston. As a result, he was recently named the most underrated player in the league heading into the ’26-27 season by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.
“When the Celtics took a hacksaw to their bloated budget last summer, they did so knowing that the bottom might fall out for its interior rotation. Neemias Queta is the biggest (only?) reason why Boston’s bigs were able to hold it together,” Buckley wrote.
“Queta is now a first-paragraph part of the story of the Celtics’ success going forward. This past season wasn’t simply his first as a full-time starter; it was his first crack at being a rotation regular. His arrow is pointing all the way up; this will just hopefully point more people toward noticing that.”
This story will be updated.
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