Boston Celtics
“One of many issues we have got to determine is easy methods to have extra of an influence on the rim and I feel we do want so as to add to our staff to do this.”
Brad Stevens spoke for greater than half-hour on the Auerbach Heart on Wednesday, taking questions on quite a lot of matters within the aftermath of the Celtics’ first-round loss to the 76ers.
He opened by saying that Philadelphia performed properly and deserved to win. The Celtics had a tough time getting attractiveness on offense, and typically shot too many threes, each issues that could be reevaluated throughout the offseason.
After early playoff exits by the hands of lower-seeded groups in three of the final 4 years, it’s time for sincere conversations about the place the Celtics are, he stated.
They are going to head into the offseason with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each underneath contract and underneath age 30, surrounded by a younger, unproven roster with a boatload of query marks.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the press conference:
Stevens weighs in on rumors of Jaylen Brown’s frustration
Jaylen Brown has stated, on quite a few events, that he has a very good rapport with Tracy McGrady. He has stated publicly that McGrady helped persuade him to stick with the Celtics earlier in his profession when he was pondering in any other case.
On Tuesday, McGrady said throughout an episode of “Cousins”, the podcast he does along with his cousin Vince Carter, that Brown has been experiencing deep frustrations with the Celtics’ group.
The primary query at Stevens’s press convention was about these feedback. Stevens stated he has not sensed any frustration from Brown.
“I talked to Jaylen on Monday actual rapidly and it was nothing however optimistic,” Stevens stated. “He has not expressed these frustrations to me. We’ve been right here ten years collectively.”
“Clearly I like J.B., everyone round right here loves J.B. Identical to any of our different guys as we get to the top of the common season, I’ll be right here and my door is at all times open and if anyone ever desires to return in and discuss concerning the staff, their place, no matter, I’m all ears.”
What occurred with Tatum forward of Sport 7
Tatum was a late scratch from the lineup forward of Sport 7.
Coach Joe Mazzulla advised reporters that the choice had been made round 20 minutes earlier than his 5:45 pre-game press convention.
Stevens added some context on what the method regarded like within the moments between Video games 6 and seven.
“You could possibly see on the finish of Sport 6 that we thought it could dissipate and be OK the subsequent day,” Stevens stated. “He didn’t do very a lot on Friday, simply rested, and got here in on Saturday morning. I watched it and clearly it didn’t really feel proper.”
“I feel it’s not a protracted, long run concern but it surely definitely didn’t look proper when he was figuring out and it didn’t really feel proper so it made sense to be good about that. I feel the apparent reply is anytime you’re getting back from an harm like he was coming from there’s a bent to overcompensate and there was most likely slightly little bit of that there.”
Joe Mazzulla has room for enchancment
By virtually any measure, this common season was a profitable one for Mazzulla. The Celtics gained 56 video games with out Tatum, earned the No. 2 seed, and developed a bunch of youthful gamers who offered invaluable contributions in spurts all year long.
These achievements have made him a prime contender for the NBA Coach of the 12 months award.
Nevertheless, the playoffs had been a distinct story. Boston shortened it’s rotation, failed to regulate to the return of former league MVP Joel Embiid, threw out a weird beginning lineup in Sport 7 and misplaced three residence playoff video games to the underdogs.
Stevens, who personally vetted Mazzulla’s hiring and has been usually supportive over time, stated that the teaching employees — together with the remainder of the group has to do a greater job going ahead.
“I feel our teaching employees, like all of us, can proceed to enhance and get higher. That stated, I feel they’re excellent. We now have to proceed to offer them the assets to develop and to get higher and to proceed to be the very best that we might be. Can’t ignore something, the great and the dangerous, however there was lots of progress this yr and lots of issues we will construct off of although the ending was disappointing.”
Celtics struggled to generate attractiveness
Mazzulla stated repeatedly all through the collection that he although the Celtics received attractiveness towards the 76ers and easily didn’t make them.
On Wednesday, Stevens stated getting attractiveness was a wrestle each throughout that collection and in different latest ones.
The Celtics completed second-to-last among the many 16 playoff groups in free throw makes an attempt and factors within the paint. They shot 43.4 p.c from the sector throughout the playoffs, which put them thirteenth.
“I take a look at every shot individually,” Stevens stated. “My common feeling watching us play in every of the final two playoffs within the second spherical towards New York, even within the first spherical towards Orlando was that we had a very exhausting time producing attractiveness on that first shot.”
“We’ve received to determine a approach to do higher at that. One of many issues we’ve received to determine is easy methods to have extra of an influence on the rim and I feel we do want so as to add to our staff to do this.”
Boston fell behind the very best groups
The Celtics have taken a step again from the elite contenders within the NBA.
They’ve been upset within the playoffs twice in a row. They went 3-11 towards the league’s prime groups this season. Plus, the competitors isn’t anticipated to get any simpler subsequent yr.
“I feel the opposite factor you must take into account, particularly for subsequent yr, is there have been lots of groups within the NBA that had been taking part in for draft positioning this yr and that won’t be the case subsequent yr,” Stevens stated. “The league goes to be rather a lot higher, the common season goes to be rather a lot more durable, and it’ll most likely provide you with a greater indication of what everyone actually is.”
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