'Neemy is no longer a bonus, we have to rely on him'

BOSTON — "If it were up to me, I’d build a statue of Neemias Queta right now. I’ve never seen someone improve so much in a single season. He was struggling with the dribble handoff, and now he executes it with such fluidity. His handoff... he floats in the air, flips the ball to his teammate, boom! Clears out under the defender... He's great at getting into position. Never in my life have I seen guys develop the way they did, especially the bigs: Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. I'm blown away." That was high praise from Brian Scalabrine for Neemias Queta back in April, toward the end of the regular season heading into the playoffs.

A 6-foot-9 forward/center who spent five of his eleven NBA seasons with the Celtics—winning a championship in 2007/08—the 48-year-old Scalabrine was never a superstar on the court, starting just 38 of his 277 games for Boston (including playoffs).

However, his grit, hustle, and relentless energy whenever his name was called made him a beloved fan favorite with a special bond with the TD Garden faithful.

After beginning his career with the Nets, who drafted him 35th overall in 2001 (Queta went 39th in 2021), and later playing for the Bulls, Scalabrine enjoyed a spell in Italy with Benetton Treviso before serving as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors in 2013/14.

By 2014, he returned to Boston as a television color analyst for Celtics broadcasts on NBC Sports Boston, as well as contributing to NBC Sports for national telecasts.

Before every game, he bustles between on-court pre-game TV hits and the TD Garden corridors, where he broadcasts for SiriusXM NBA Radio as co-host of The Starting Lineup.

Having awarded Queta "The Tommy Award" on multiple occasions for his hustle and efficiency across various facets of the game—crashing the glass, contesting shots, and setting hard screens—A BOLA spoke with Scalabrine ahead of a preseason matchup against the 76ers to discuss what he expects from Neemias in 2026/27.

"He'll probably be a double-double guy, and we hope he performs well in the playoffs so we can make a deep run, because we need him. He's no longer just a bonus; we have to count on him," he began.

When asked which areas he expects the Portuguese international to develop further, and whether he envisions him expanding his range to the three-point line, the former player leaned back with a grin: "Nah! Just reading the game on dribble handoffs, the rotations, setting screens, his ability to drop deep defensively, rim protection... Last year, I had never seen a player make that kind of leap in one season. If he refines those aspects, he's going to be extremely valuable," he said.

And does he believe Queta will have to fight for playing time alongside Mitchell Robinson? "No, he's going to get his minutes. I think he'll play anywhere between 22 and 26 minutes a night. He's super reliable—Neemy is dependable. You can trust him. Mitchell Robinson has the free-throw struggles, there are a lot of different factors, but I really like the tandem of both of them," he highlighted.

As for his expectations for the Celtics this season? "I know we'll be a good regular-season team. That's a given. But how that translates in the playoffs, I don't know yet—we'll have to see. But I know we're going to win a lot of games, maybe even secure the best record in the Eastern Conference. The team plays hard and is very deep, which builds habits that carry over into the postseason," concluded Brian Scalabrine, who mentioned at least three times after the interview that he plans to visit Portugal next year.