Justin Quinn, Celtics Wire
Sat, September 19, 2026 at 3:01 PM UTC
Neemias Queta might have cut his teeth as an NBA big man playing for the Boston Celtics alongside Jaylen Brown, but that does not mean that the Georgia native’s exit via trade to the Philadelphia 76ers has thrown a pall over the season ahead of Queta and the remaining Celtics.
Speaking in a recent interview with CLNS Media, the Portuguese big man opened up about Brown’s departure and the campaign ahead of Boston without him in the fold for the first time in a decade. “It sucks to see Jaylen go,” offered Queta. “A great teammate, great guy to be around.”
“But we’re here to welcome Paul George and Mitchell (Robinson) and Mike (Conley Jr.) and all the rookies,” added the Celtic center. “We’re welcoming everybody into the team with open arms, and we’re ready to go to war with them.”
“It’s going to be a challenging year just because of those nuances, figuring out how to play with those guys,” said Queta. “They’ve got to figure out how to play with us that have been here for longer.”
“But at the end of the day, I feel like we’ve got a really good shot, a bunch of experience in that locker room, a bunch of competitiveness too.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Neemias Queta on how Boston Celtics will adapt to Jaylen Brown absence this season