Monte McNair and the Sacramento Kings drafted Neemias Queta in the 2nd round (39th overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Utah State. We always knew the 7′0″ big man was going to be a project player, but even with that knowledge coming into the season, his infrequent playing time was disappointing. But before we talk about what Queta didn’t do, let’s spend a moment on what he did.
Queta played 14 games with the G-League Stockton Kings this season and averaged 16.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks on 63% shooting in 28.2 minutes per game.
Some performances were more impressive than others, like this 24-point, 16 rebound, 7 block night vs. the Salt Lake City Stars back in November:
When it came to the Sacramento Kings, though, there isn’t a lot to talk about. Queta was buried in the center depth chart behind the likes of Richaun Holmes, Tristan Thompson, Damian Jones, Alex Len, Domantas Sabonis, and Chimezie Metu at various points this season.
When the Kings were competing for a playoff spot during the first half of the year, Queta’s burial made all the sense in the world.
When the Kings stopped playing for the playoffs and it was clear the season wasn’t going anywhere, his burial made far less sense to me.
Queta appeared in just 14 games for the Kings this season, and averaged 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, and shot just 48% in 120 total minutes. And I’m not going to lie to you here and pretend like his minutes were incredible and the Kings committed basketball malpractice by not giving him a bigger opportunity.
Neemias didn’t stand out in those (very) limited minutes. There were some good moments, sure. You caught glimpses into the kind of force he could be with that unique mix of size and athleticism. You saw some brutal (in a good way) screens that offensive players should be able to take advantage of. You even saw some of the passing and court vision that makes him such an intriguing offensive prospect.
But he didn’t make himself unbenchable. And for a head coach like Alvin Gentry who was coaching for his job, the big opportunity for Queta never came.
My frustration for his lack of opportunity is compounded by how much more difficult it’s going to be for Queta to crack the rotation next season when winning games goes from a hope to a necessity. The Kings need to win, and I’d love for Queta to be a part of that winning, but he’s not going to enter the season in the rotation, that’s for sure. He’s going to have to prove it to the next coach.
The Kings have a rich recent history of getting absolutely nothing out of their 2nd round picks. In some cases, high 2nd round picks. I’m hopeful that Queta can buck that trend, work on his game and conditioning this summer, show out in summer league, and prove he belongs.
It’s an uphill battle, but doubt Neemy at your own peril.
You’ve got it exactly right: Queta had plays and sequences that were incredibly impressive, and really whetted the appetite for more. And he is definitely in a pickle, given where the Kings are, and where they’re trying to go.
I don’t know what DJones is likely to be offered as a free agent, but when he was given minutes, he played very well, and I’m not only talking about numbers. Jones passes well, he did a nice job surveying things in the high post, he rotated well and offered solid rim protection, and a lot of other things that add up. And importantly, he seemed to get better the more he played. I don’t think he’ll be offered anything that the Kings couldn’t match, but I’m certain that there is a number at which point he’ll be thanked for his work, and congratulated on his new team and contract.
And maybe that’s the best way to go, if there is any hope of developing Queta. So I suppose the question is, can he ramp up the the level of play that Jones currently provides, and the more important thing, what is Queta’s ceiling, and is it higher than Jones’?
I just haven’t seen enough of Queta to have a real idea of what he could be. He absolutely should have gotten more playing time in the last twenty games.
Remember a center who was drafted by the Suns and it took time for him to develop. His name was Ayton.
Great comp…
Oh, very much so! I don’t have a problem letting guys develop, but Ayton also didn’t have anyone nearly as good as Sabonis in front of him, and as a top pick, the pressure is very different, both for the player and the organization.
I really loved watching Ayton eat the lunch of that dirty piece of shit, Valanciunas, the other day.
This is a joke right? Ayton had 16 pts, over 10 rebs, on 58% shooting and a PER over 20 as a rookie and was a number one pick. If that’s a project, we need more projects like him. He was a top 15 center coming into the league.
This exactly. Ayton has actually been remarkably consistent since he stepped on the NBA floor. He’s a really odd example to use for a development project.
This a joke I hope ! Aston was better as a rookie than Neemias will ever be . 🤣
Ayton sucks
Someone may suck but it’s not Ayton .
You almost have to deal Len and/or Holmes to entertain signing Jones. You can’t have $20 million tied up in backup centers.
This. So many obstacles in keeping Jones, not to mention his own desire to return.
Read my article under Harkless. Part of the article has Holmes being traded.
Saw that. I wish Kings could get something- anything for him. Hornets looking for center- had Plumblee and Harrel but may look at Wood who is expendable or even Jones over Holmes who then takes a 20 million back up center?
yes, Kings need to clear out that closet. Love Holmes but nonproductive and just fell off the edge of the playing world. Lens expendable if Q is considered close to “ready”
Nice to have Sabonis + Jones + Q. Period.
Andy- love your comments. However, if Jones was a restricted FA, like DDV, then the Kings could engage in active comparisons and negotiations. With an URFA like Jones, it is usually one-sided- he finds and offer and takes it- no counter offer options for Kings. While he COULD remain- if Kings jump in quick and make an offer that no one else is interested in, it is possible.
I have noticed a recent trend of many bigs in line ups- Cavs, NOP with J. Hayes + Valentunas , Nets with Claton etc. There is space for an agile big man- is this Jones or Q? Big guys always take longer to develop fully. Even Jones- took about 5 years. Being patient with Q may depend on Jones taking the first offer for, , say, Hornets and leaving. Technically he has already “left”
Q is big, he moves well in a clumsy way. He can hit a jump shot and he sets good picks. He rebounds better than Jones but is not as athletic and not as good of a shooter- at least for now.
Every team needs a huge bench guy to combat the other teams huge guy.
Another victim under the bad decision made by McNair not to fire Walton last season.
It is just a chain reaction and consequence.
If McNair did hire a new coach last season, then Walton would not be here and Gentry would not even be the interim coach, who barely played Queta.
I’m interpreting this to mean that you know who the Kings would have hired a year ago had they fired Walton, and that this new coach would have (checks notes) given Queta a lot more playing time.
Give us a name!
Impossible to know his potential due to limited minutes . I remember Skal had better stats in G league and NBA as a 19 year old rookie .
Exactly and not much else to say beyond that.
HT to 1951:
JonesNeemias is hard for me to evaluate.He does some good things and yet I have no clue if he is just a guy that just puts up some NBA level production on a bad team or if he is really good enough to be a solid addition to a decent team.
Why oh why did Queta only get 14 games in Stockton when he should have had all the burn he could get down there? Was he really needed at the parent club to sit on the bench behind the 4 centers in front of him? It seems like a mismanagement of time and development, IMO.
I believe he’s good for another year as a 2-way player and again should get significant burn down in Stockton. Is anyone clear on his contract status because Spotrac has him down as a RFA this summer?
It feel it’s a pretty well understood notion that bigs take longer to develop, and he is just 22, so give him some time in Stockton. I don’t really see the need for him to be with the parent club with Sabonis, Holmes, and Len currently guaranteed to be ahead of him in the rotation. He can easily practice with Sac, but I don’t the point of him sitting in street clothes behind the bench on game nights, especially on the road, when he could be getting good minutes in the G-League.
Have to say that by the point in the season that Neemie finally got limited minutes @G1C I wasn’t paying much attention to the games. When I did see him play he often just looked lost.
That’s because he didn’t get enough playing time. I think he has potential and agree with Adamsite he needs as much experience as he can get.
Yes, he needs more time but Ayton he isn’t by a huge margin .
You’re wrong
No, you are. It is clear to most now and will be even to you soon enough .
You both have presented some very strong arguments. It is difficult to determine the winner of this exchange.
It’s spelled Neemi
I call dibs on writing the screenplay for the next Blockbuster hit “Free Neemie”.
The Kings would be best served trading Holmes. I don’t really see another way around it. If Holmes isn’t traded this off season I think it’s a failure by our GM to build a serious playoff contender. It’s not that Holmes isn’t good, it’s that the return for Holmes (maybe in a package) should be a significant enough return to have a real impact at a position of need. Jones should be the back up Center for this team next season at a much more affordable contract. Freeing up money to use for getting more high end talent in Sacramento. Holmes contract is excellent for his production and our GM needs to find a team that needs Holmes for serious minutes. That team would be getting a DEAL. Why, because Holmes is really good. Unfortunately he is wasted when you have the ox playing at minimum 35 minutes a night. Our GM hopefully sees this. The trade doesn’t need to be a one for one. Ideally Holmes and Barnes are packaged together in a deal that brings in a player better than both Barnes and Holmes. A 30 plus million dollar player who doesn’t currently fit with their teams future plans.
please throw out names that might fit that description. There has to be at least a handful.
I’d imagine that as things stand, it won’t matter what team he’s on, Holmes won’t be playing. Holmes is still a good player on a reasonable deal, but interest in him will be limited to Dallas, where the head coach would be in no position to throw stones.
More than once, I’ve seen this kind of thing in custody cases, and true or not, it’s ugly and shitty. All I’ll say is that I hope everyone gets what they actually deserve.
he might fit in with Dallas but then again, they might be thinking bigger. and Mavs emphasize 3 ball and 5 out offense- No fit there.
I think we could trade Holmes and maybe our 2 seconds this year to the Dalles Mavericks. They want a center that fits Holmes talent. You could get someone like Dorian Finley Smith that does three things Monty wants in a player. He shoots the three at a high percentage, can really play defense and can play either forward positions. He is only 28 and fits well in what Monty is trying to do.
I would definitely go for Finney-Smith as a trade target, but I doubt the Mavs trade him after extending him last year. They could take in Holmes or Barnes without having to give up Finney-Smith. Not that Monty shouldn’t try.
Personally, I am riding the C. Boucher free agent train, I think he’d fit with Domas and the rest of the roster quite well.
Yeah, the Mavs aren’t giving up the best defender on their team for Holmes.
I think at best the Kings may be able to get Mason Plumlee and his unguaranteed deal, plus a heavily protected first for Holmes. Unfortunately, Monte may have to sell low on Holmes
Mavs love DFS. Undrafted too I think
Boucher is an example of slow developing big guy. duds had him for a cup of coffee
Haha! Good one!
I have concerns that other GM’s see Holmes as “empty calories”- good stats on bad team and then this year no stats. Unfortunately I think his value is low
Apropos of nothing, reports are that Dyson Daniels is now measuring around 6’8.
You think he can learn to shoot? It seems to be the only weak spot in his game.
I think there are reasons for optimism on that front.
I’m certainly not going to bet any real money on his outside shot becoming a real weapon, but I think there’s enough there to believe he can develop his shot. Ultimately, I tend to be conservative in my picks in that I like guys that have an NBA role even if they don’t make major leaps. Even with just a typical development curve, I think a guy with Dyson’s BBIQ, measurements, and present skills can be a useful NBA player. I’d say his floor probably looks pretty Herbert Jones-y (with slight less defense and slightly more offense).
no doubt he can play- and under the radar guy. Shooting is so important.
He will be a useful NBA player. My comparison was Giddey but less offense- I was looking at “versatile player” profile.
Maybe close to H. Jones who is a good player, can shoot a little but not a scorer- shooter. Kings are going to need some consistent buckets.
In playoffs, teams will take away opponents top 2 as much as possible- can the third/fourth guy score enough to take advantage? Nets/Celts- focus is on taking away Kyrie and KD and Brown + Tatum.
can DD be a 4th scorer?
then again,, can Davis, Mathurin or Sharpe be a 3rd scorer?
Nice! He is currently in my top 7 as we speak. I believe he can go as high as 6 depending on his workouts.
Like to hear this. Assuming the Kings pick in the 7/8 range, he would be a solid pick. I think he and Mitchell would work together, and like you’ve said in an earlier thread, his length would enable the team to trot out some three guard lineups, not to mention his defense, rebounding, and unselfishness.
Another player who has recently jumped into my top 7/8 is Jeremy Sochan. Like Daniels, he’s a 2-way, glue guy type of player who has many ways to contribute to winning basketball while he improves his outside shot.
Sochan is the British guy. DD is the Aussie.
Sochan is closer to H. Jones.
At 7/8, I still like Murray (gone), Davis, Mathurin and Sharpe.
I may be talked into DD.
he is a fine player- similar to Giddey. Not a good shooter at this point. Kings need shooters. Look at the duds- Stephie, Klank, Wiggins and the Poddle all shoot better than any King’
Daniels- versatile, smart, passes, defends, Except for last, reminds me of Hali.
Sharpe in draft-
at this point, at around 7/8- Sharpe, Davis, Mathurin and, god forbid, Griffin may be better than Daniels although Daniles may be a better choice than stand still, inconsistent Griffin.
If he shows well in work outs, then ??
Another Hassan Whiteside?
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