Since taking over as the Boston Celtics head coach in 2022, defense has remained a priority for Joe Mazzulla.
In his first three full years with the Celtics, Boston ranked as a top-five team in defensive rating, according to NBA.com. Entering the 2025-26 season, Mazzulla challenged Neemias Queta to become his new rim protector.
So far, the 26-year-old is excelling in the role. He remains a major reason the Celtics still find themselves among the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Through this point in the year, the data shows Neemias Queta continues to be a force on defense in the league.
Below are the defensive statistics in which Queta ranks top 15 in the NBA this season, as of Tuesday:
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Defensive rating: 108.5 (17th)
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Blocks: 71 (13th)
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Defensive box plus/minus: 1.7 (13th)
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Defensive win shares: 2.5 (15th)
(Writer’s note: Defensive rating and blocks according to the NBA. Defensive box plus/minus and Defensive win shares according to Basketball-Reference.)
Queta anchors a defense which currently ranks seventh in defensive rating in the league.
Additionally, Queta’s success in helping Boston’s defense is more impressive considering who else is sharing the court with him. Three of Boston’s most-used players for most of this year are seen as below-average defenders: Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons.
Impact of the Nikola Vučević Acquisition
Since the trade deadline, Mazzulla continues to show how much he values Neemias Queta.
In each of the six games since Boston acquired Nikola Vučević from Chicago, the Celtics brought the veteran off the bench.
Before joining the Celtics, Vučević started nearly every game for the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls. Out of 1,020 games prior to being in Boston, he started in 956 of them.
In Vučević’s career, he built up a reputation as a capable hub on offense, but he has struggled on defense. Vučević owns a career 0.2 defensive box plus/minus. For context, Karl-Anthony Towns possesses the same number in the metric this season.
Offensive Success Also Remains Key
In addition to his defense, Neemias Queta’s career season offensively allows him to stay in the current impact role he is in.
As of Wednesday, he’s averaging a career-high 9.8 points per game while shooting 63.8% from the field. Queta also provides offensive value on the glass. He ranks top 10 in total offensive rebounds and owns the sixth-best offensive rating in the NBA.
Boston’s offense remains strong, but it is not the team’s primary need when it comes to Queta. The Celtics feature multiple offensive threats, including Jaylen Brown, Pritchard, Vučević, Derrick White and (potentially) Jayson Tatum.
Defense Wins Championships
Most likely, Boston face the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks on any road back to the NBA Finals. That makes Neemias Queta’s defense a potential X-factor.
Both teams feature an All-Star-caliber big man in Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Duren. Good news for Celtics fans: Queta has shown success against both at times.
Towns has been one of the best scoring centers of the past decade. In Boston’s Feb. 8 loss to New York, Queta helped limit him to 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting. In the teams’ first meeting in October, a 10-point win for the Knicks, Towns shot 6/16 and scored 10 of his 26 points at the free throw line.
As for Duren, in Queta’s third game as Boston’s starting center, Duren scored 24 points and 18 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.
However, in the last three matchups against Boston, Duren averaged 12 points and 9.3 rebounds on 54% shooting. Those numbers fall below his season averages of 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on 63.4% shooting.
Mazzulla often adjusts his starting lineups. But in the playoffs, Queta appears likely to guard opposing star centers.
In Neemias Queta’s first season as a starter, he continues to outperform his $2.3 million contract for 2025-26. He could help power a deep postseason run. On the flip side, his absence or potential below-expectations performance could contribute to an early exit.
The Portuguese center has appeared in seven playoff games and played just 26 total minutes. This postseason will test what he learned from the 2024 championship and from the rest of the team’s veteran leaders.
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