Portugal national team player Nehemias Queta will participate in the Boston Celtics’ training camp in preparation for the 2023/24 season, the North American Basketball League (NBA) team announced this Monday.
The Portuguese international center, who was released by the Sacramento Kings on Sept. 13 after two seasons, is on coach Joe Mazulla’s list of 18 athletes.
Luke Cornet and Al Horford of the Dominican Republic are Queta’s main competitors for the post.
The five players’ first preseason meeting is scheduled for Oct. 8 at TD Garden in Boston against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Queta, 24, will be able to play for either the Boston Celtics or the Maine Celtics’ secondary, similar to what happened with the Sacramento Kings, with whom he was on a two-way contract to allow him to be used in NBA games, and also in matches of the Stockton Kings minor team in the Development League (G-League).
The center signed a “standard contract” with the Kings in August of this year, but was eventually released as a free agent, allowing him to sign with any other team to continue his career, as is now the case.
The 24-year-old center forward was selected 39th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2021 NBA Draft, becoming the first Portuguese player to participate in the tournament.
In his first two seasons in the NBA, Nehemias Queta played 20 games for Sacramento. That post was used most often by the Stockton Kings, for whom he played 43 games last season, averaging 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 tackles per game.
His strong performances in the G League earned the Portuguese player second place in the regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, behind first baseman Carlik Jones.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.