The Boston Celtics closed the regular season at 56-26 after beating the Orlando Magic in a thriller on Sunday night at TD Garden. The second seed is locked. The roster is the healthiest it has been all year.
Jayson Tatum returned from a ruptured Achilles and averaged over 21 points per game across his 16 games back. Jaylen Brown carried the franchise through 62 games without him and put together an MVP-caliber season.
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Yet one player’s growth has been central to how Boston has thrived. The Celtics entered the season with legitimate questions at the center position. What they found exceeded every outsider’s expectations.
Neemias Queta stepped into a starting role and never let go. During a recent appearance on the White Noise Podcast with Derrick White, he addressed the season he just put together and what comes next.
Queta did not campaign for the Most Improved Player award. He acknowledged he believes he has made a strong case but made it clear the outcome does not define the progress.
“There’s always so much more I can get better at,” Queta said. “If I don’t get it this year, next year it’s available again… that’s a good way to see it.”
That measured, forward-looking mindset has defined his entire season. Queta has not played like someone chasing a narrative. He has played like someone who genuinely believes the best version of himself has not arrived yet.
The numbers tell the story. Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game this season—all career highs. He recorded 17 double-doubles while holding down a starting spot that few expected him to own this consistently.
The context matters just as much as the production. Boston entered the season with major questions at center. Queta became a reliable anchor on both ends of the floor, providing the energy and physicality that Boston’s lineups needed. The impact has not gone unnoticed.
“Neemias Queta needs to be the most improved player, he needs to be on the defensive team or something,” Brown said. “He needs some type of award for his growth this year.”
Queta has shown he can handle responsibility across a full 82-game schedule—not in flashes, not in favorable matchups, but consistently. He has given the Celtics a dependable presence inside at a position that could have been their biggest weakness. And he is still getting better.
The Celtics open the first round at home on Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between the Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers. Queta will be in the middle of whatever comes next.
He did not frame this season as a finish line. He framed it as part of something longer. The production is there. The recognition is following. Brown has publicly backed his case. The locker room sees what he has become. But the focus has not shifted away from improvement.
That is exactly the mentality Boston needs from its center heading into the postseason. The award would be earned. The growth is what matters more.
And Queta is not done yet.