Kings go big in second round of NBA draft, choosing Utah State 7-footer Neemias Queta
After selecting Baylor point guard Davion Mitchell with the No. 9 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Kings decided to go big with their second-round pick.
With the 39th pick in the draft, Sacramento selected Neemias Queta, a 7-foot center from Utah State. Queta is an intriguing prospect who was a two-time Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Utah State, where he set numerous single-game, single-season and career records for blocked shots.
Queta, a 22-year-old native of Barreiro, Portugal, is 7-foot-0 ¼ and 248 pounds with a 7-4 wingspan. Tankathon.com ranked Queta as the third-best center in the draft behind Evan Mobley, who went to the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 3, and Alperen Sengun, who was traded to the Houston Rockets after going to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 16.
Queta averaged 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 2.7 assists in 30 minutes per game as a junior at Utah State. He averaged an impressive 28.6 points, 19.4 rebounds, 6.4 blocks and 5.1 assists per 100 possessions with offensive/defensive ratings of 116.4/80.6.
Queta had nine blocked shots against Colorado State in a Mountain West Conference Tournament game and seven against Texas Tech in an NCAA Tournament game.
This story was originally published July 30, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
