Celtics
“I might by no means put a ceiling on any crew.”
The Boston Celtics’ odds of securing a nineteenth championship in June 2026 seem slim, to say the least.
Not solely did Boston lose a number of key items this offseason in Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, Luke Kornet, and potentially Al Horford, however additionally they will probably be with out Jayson Tatum for almost all (if not all) of the 2025-26 marketing campaign whereas he rehabs again from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Even when a reworked roster headlined by Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, and Payton Pritchard might feasibly maintain their very own in a weak Japanese Convention this fall, a Celtics squad sans Tatum probably doesn’t have the firepower in place to moderately contend for a title.
However, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens isn’t decreasing his expectations for 2025-26, even with Tatum now on the mend.
“I’d by no means put a ceiling on any crew,” Stevens mentioned Tuesday on the Auerbach Heart. “We have been lucky to have a lot of groups there as we led as much as this sort of window that have been actually enjoyable and I believed by no means actually cared about ceilings and had a chip on their shoulder. And I anticipate that this crew will, too.
“I imply, the final time that Jaylen Brown was on a crew that was doubted was a very long time in the past, proper? And the final time that Peyton Pritchard has been on a crew that was doubted — he most likely hasn’t been but. And also you go down the listing, Derrick White and all these guys. So I’m excited to see what this crew has in retailer.”
Regardless of crafting a roster that received a title in 2024, Stevens has gone by means of a number of highs and lows since first becoming a member of the Celtics group in 2013.
Initially introduced in as a head coach for a rebuilding franchise after the tip of “Large Three” period of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, expectations have been low for Boston as soon as Stevens arrived.
However after trudging by means of a 25-win season in 2013-14, the Celtics have made the playoffs each season since then, routinely exceeding expectations underneath Stevens’ watch throughout these years earlier than the arrival of Tatum and Brown.
“My expectations are all the time the identical — compete like hell to win the following recreation,” Stevens mentioned. “Like that’s all the time going to be it. That may all the time be it. And that’s the best way that we’re going to attempt to put our foot ahead. … That’ll be it. I’ve mentioned many instances that the North Star for me is successful championships.
“And that is, with out query — if you commerce guys like Jrue and KP, there’s some retooling happening. However the one factor that after I was teaching — when the time period ‘rebuild’ got here up, I believed it was a loopy time period. None of us have been right here earlier than, so it needs to be ‘construct’, proper? You’re all the time constructing and rising in the direction of one thing. And for this group, we’ve acquired so many guys again which can be actually good gamers that that’s not going to be a part of the lexicon in our constructing, and that’s the best way we’re going to focus transferring ahead.”
Join the As we speak publication
Get every thing it is advisable know to begin your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
