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Neemias Queta, the Celtics' starting center, was not named a finalist for the NBA's Most Improved Player award despite a breakout season. He averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 76 games, contributing significantly to the Celtics' success.
Neemias Queta openly wanted to be in consideration for the NBAās Most Improved Player award. It was one of his goals entering the season as he was set to be the Celticsā starting center.
But after a breakout season, Queta was not named a top-3 finalist for the award. The NBA revealed its top-3 vote getters Sunday: the Blazersā Deni Avdija, the Pistonsā Jalen Duren and the Hawksā Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
āI feel like I made a good case for it,ā Queta said earlier this month. āBut like we said, thatās stuff that we canāt control. At the end of the day, Iām just just helping the team win, and thatās my main goal. Obviously, thatās secondary, the most improved. But Iām just glad Iām helping my teammates getting to the spot weāre at right now. And whether I win it or donāt win it, itās not gonna change my perspective and the approach I take every night.ā
Queta averaged career-highs across the board, averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 76 games (75 starts) for the Celtics this season. It wasnāt just that he was breaking out for the Celtics, it was how consistent he was on a nightly basis. Queta was a huge reason why the Cās went 56-26 to grab the No. 2 seed in the East.
Despite his breakout season, Queta was not among the top-3 finalists as announced by the NBA, which included Deni Avdija, Jalen Duren, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over 76 games this season.
Queta played a crucial role in the Celtics' success, helping the team achieve a 56-26 record and secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The finalists for the award are Deni Avdija from the Blazers, Jalen Duren from the Pistons, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Hawks.

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But Queta didnāt garner that much buzz nationally when it came to the award. His impact defensively is a huge piece of the puzzle, and that doesnāt generate much award discussions compared to other guys. Itās still clear how impressive Quetaās leap was this season, though, as heās the Celticsā starting center going forward.
The other finalists also have strong cases for the award, as well. Avdija was an All-Star this season and upped his scoring to 24.2 points per game. Duren is a similar story, being named to his first All-Star team to help lead the No. 1-seeded Pistons. Alexander-Walker also more than doubled his scoring output compared to last season in his first season with the Hawks.
Still, Queta had a great case himself. While he wasnāt named an All-Star like a couple of the other guys, his leap from fourth big man in Bostonās rotation to legit starter was an important storyline. The Celtics lost their top-3 centers from last year only to have Queta develop his way into a nightly contributor.
āNeemiās been great,ā Jaylen Brown said of Queta. āHeās been just consistently getting better, protecting the rim, finishing, making those little shots, rebounding. Heās been great. In my opinion, heās probably one of the Most Improved Players this year, and I donāt know if heās up for the award, but he should be.ā
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