After the shock of being fired from the Kings, Neemias Queta signed for the Boston Celtics and is preparing to begin his third season in the North American Basketball League (NBA). The Portuguese hopes to add more minutes and become part of the team’s rotation.

After two seasons with the Sacramento Kings, the first Portuguese to play in the NBA – picked by the Sacramento Kings at 39th overall in the provisional version 2021 -, moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, and to one of the teams with the most history. He signed a two-way contract with the Boston franchise, allowing him to play for the Maine Celtics, of the G League, a developmental league.

Although he appears as the fourth post, behind reinforcement Kristaps Porzingis, who has had many injuries in recent seasons, veteran Al Horford and Luke Kornet, Queta shone in the preparation. Used in three of the Celtics’ five preseason games, he finished averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.

In his first two seasons in the NBA, Neemias Queta appeared in 20 games for the Sacramento team, including just five last season (2.9 points per game and 2.2 rebounds, in less than eight minutes per game). And even the good performances in the G-League, which earned the Portuguese player second place in the voting for Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the regular phase of the competition, behind starter Carlik Jones, did not convince the Kings to move towards the permanent signature.

LeBron James: 39 years old and 21 consecutive NBA appearances

The NBA’s 78th season starts this morning and will feature something new, with a mid-season championship, with the two conferences divided into three groups, with the title game being played on December 9.

The champion Denver Nuggets are favorites for the new season, but there are several teams competing for the title. After winning their first Larry O’Brien Trophy, the team is led by Nikola Jokic and with Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the front line.

Favoritism also applied in the Western Conference, which they won in the regular season, despite the Los Angeles Lakers led by the veteran LeBron James – 39 years old and 21st season in the NBA -the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns emerge as names to take into account.

With the addition of veteran Chris Paul, the Warriors also present themselves as candidates for the West, always with Stephen Curry as the main character and now with Klay Thompson physically healthy, after several serious injuries in previous years.

The many changes to the Phoenix Suns roster, with Devin Booker being the last holdout from the team that reached the finals in 2021, should not keep the team from the top spots, with Kevin Durant being the other big figure, now with Bradley Beal in the leading role. Chris Paul’s place.

In the west is also the big attraction of the new season, the Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the first to be chosen in the provisional version for the San Antonio Spurs, and who is the player who probably raises the most expectations since LeBron James 21 years ago.

In the Eastern Conference, in theory, the Boston Celtics, who this year have the Portuguese Neemias Queta, and the Milwaukee Bucks emerge as the biggest favorites, but the Miami Heat, defeated finalists, want to surprise again.

With last season’s most valuable player (MVP), Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers are also one of the strongest teams in the East, but the season started with the case of James Harden, who wants to leave the team and has refused to train .

Denver Lakers open

The NBA kicks off in the early hours this Wednesday with the Denver-LA Lakers (12:30 a.m., Sport TV) and the Golden State-Phoenix (3 a.m.). There’s a Spurs-Dallas tomorrow (2.30am), which marks the debut of Victor Wembanyama.

View the full competition calendar here.