Kings two-way center Neemias Queta ready for G League Next Up Game at NBA All-Star Weekend
Neemias Queta hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself in the NBA, but he will have an opportunity to shine among the G League’s top prospects as part of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
Queta was one of 24 players selected to participate in the NBA G League Next Up Game at noon Sunday at Huntsman Center, home of the Pac-12 Conference’s Utah Utes. The 7-foot center starred at nearby Utah State, where he was a three-time All-Mountain West Conference honoree before the Kings selected him with the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
Queta, a native of Portugal, is in his second season with the Kings on a two-way contract. As a rookie last season, he became the first Portuguese player ever to appear in an NBA game.
Queta appeared in 15 games for the Kings last season. He has only appeared in four games this season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest.
His opportunities in the NBA have been few and far between, but he has been a dominant force for the G League Stockton Kings. As a rookie, he averaged 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 2.2 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game. This season, he is averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game. He had a season-high 38 points in a win over the Santa Cruz Warriors on Nov. 26.
Iowa Wolves forward Luka Garza and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson were named team captains for the G League Next Up Game based on fan voting. Garza and Henderson chose their teams from the pool of 24 players Tuesday on the NBA G League YouTube channel.
Garza selected Saben Lee with the first pick. Henderson selected Kennth Lofton Jr. with the second pick. Queta went to Team Scoot with the 14th pick in the Up Next draft, joining a team that will feature Kennth Lofton Jr. (Memphis Hustle), Sidy Cissoko (Ignite), Eric Mika (Ignite), Leonard Miller (Ignite) and Gui Santos (Santa Cruz Warriors).
