Two former Boston Celtics teammates reunited on the EuroBasket 2025 stage when Latvia faced Portugal. Kristaps Porziņģis, backed by the home crowd in Riga, went up against Neemias Queta. The pair played together the past two seasons in Boston, winning the 2023–24 NBA championship.
Porziņģis powered Latvia to a 78–62 victory, posting 21 points (6/14 FG, 5/12 3PT, 4/4 FT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 5 turnovers. Queta, meanwhile, delivered 16 points (7/12 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/4 FT), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals for Portugal.
The two won’t be sharing the Celtics locker room next season, as Porziņģis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Boston’s center rotation now features Queta, Luka Garza, and rookie Amari Williams, the team’s 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. That raises the question: is Queta ready to step in as the Celtics’ starting center?
“Starter? Good question,” Porziņģis said after the game. “Who else do they have? I honestly haven’t looked at the roster. But what I can say is that Nimi has improved every year. Coach Mazzulla has been tough on him, but I think he’s at the point where he deserves real minutes, real rotation minutes. He’s been putting in the work, and you can see it in how he’s playing here. I’m really happy for Nimi. He’s a great guy, puts in the time, and I’d love to see him get a bigger role this year.”
Last season, Queta appeared in 62 games (6 starts) for Boston, averaging 14 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks.
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