Ever since Brad Stevens arrived in Boston back in 2013, he’s been chasing the franchise’s 18th NBA title, and now that he finally has it, life has been a whirlwind for the team president. Despite winning the championship not too long ago, he already has to wrap up the championship celebrations and concentrate on the upcoming season, as players contracts and the NBA Draft are upon us.
After receiving a lot of praise from fans and experts all around the league, he’s promised himself not to get too caught up on it. “The adulation doesn’t mean much in all sincerity. And the scrutiny doesn’t mean much either. If you hang a banner everybody is going to talk about how great you are. And if you don’t, they’re going to talk about how much you stink.
“If you tie your approach to that, then you’re just going to ride a roller coaster that’s not worth the journey. So, I think the most important thing is you appreciate the people you’re with, you try your best to have the best season you can. And you just keep going,” he said during Tuesday’s conference.
Brad Stevens on running it back with a similar group:
“I don’t anticipate any major changes, at least early on, because I think this team deserves that.” pic.com/3ZvYLLKnHH
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 25, 2024
The positive news in the Celtics camp is how the roster’s core is already well positioned to defend the title next year, as their top stars including Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis are tied under contract for the following campaign.
After securing long-term extension with most of their starters last summer, this offseason they expect to do the same with White and Tatum. This is part of the reasons why Stevens isn’t expecting to make any major changes in the Celtics’ locker room. “I think there’s a lot of moving parts to keeping this roster sustainable beyond this year. But specifically to this year, we’ve got a lot of guys back,” he said.
“It will be hard for any draft pick to crack our rotation when healthy. So we’ll think about how we can continue to invest in young players and their development and growth, with the reality that if we’re able to continue to move forward with this group — these guys are going to be on the court,” Brad said as Boston hold the 30th and 54th overall picks.
Stevens didn’t want to admit that the Celtics are already the favorites to conquer the title next year, as he thinks anything can happen
There are plenty of reasons why it’s easy to think that the Boston club will earn back-to-back championships next season, especially as they are set to keep their roster intact without any budget limitations.
Despite this reality, the club’s president isn’t willing to place the Celtics as the clear favorites to win the upcoming campaign. “I don’t know what the league’s going to look like in three weeks, so who knows?” Stevens said. “But I know this. Human nature is going to be another huge opponent. All of our opponents — when you win — the other 29 teams target you. It’s a different thing to come back from to then be great again.”
Just as well, Brad believes his club has respected a process for so long that they deserve to take on the challenge of extending their reign for years to come. “We’ll always evaluate how to make our team better.
“But I think we would be crazy not to say that character and the foundation of this team is right. And let’s see if we can be as consistent as we can. Grow. Develop. Get better. Improve. … I’m not anticipating major changes, at least early on. Because I think this team deserves that,” he explained.
