How Brad Stevens is approaching the offseason and draft

After a 25-57 finish in his first season as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens met with Danny Ainge.

“Danny and I, I remember meeting early in my tenure as a coach because that first year, it was miserable,” Stevens recalled at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday. “We knew we weren’t very good, but it was miserable to go through. And it was just like, how can we find a way to be sustainably competitive and be in the mix? That doesn’t mean you’re going to be in the last four teams standing every time, or the last team standing or whatever, but, like, you go into playoff series, and you know and believe that you’ve got a team that can win if you play well.”

The rest is history. The following season, the Celtics returned to the playoffs, beginning a streak that has lasted for the past 10 seasons – the NBA’s longest active streak. Almost a decade after that initial meeting, Stevens, now in a different role as president of basketball operations, helped the Celtics reach the pinnacle of basketball, raising Banner 18 last week.

“The adulation means nothing, in all sincerity. And the scrutiny doesn’t mean much either. We’ve got to realize we live in this world of instant reaction, and if you hang a banner, everybody’s going to talk about how great you are, and if you don’t, they’re going to talk about how much you stink,” Stevens said.

“If you tie your spirit to that, if you tie the way you work to that, 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, try your best to bring out the best in that, try to have the best season you can, and just keep doing it.”

Now, the focus shifts to returning to the top, and the Celtics are well-prepared for the challenge. With seven of Boston’s top eight players (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard) already under contract for the 2024-25 season, the team is in a strong position to compete again next season.

With the NBA Draft kicking off on Wednesday, the Celtics have no time to decompress. On Tuesday, Stevens held a press conference to transition to the 2024-25 season, sharing some insights on their offseason plan, starting with the Draft.

For the first time in league history, the draft will be a two-day event, with the first round on Wednesday and the second round on Thursday. The Celtics hold the 30th pick on day one and the 54th on day two.

“As far as the picks go, if the right person is available at 30, then we will take them, and if we have a couple of people that we think are still the right person, then we’ll see what our options are and what kind of flexibility we have,” Stevens said. “But I anticipate picking a couple of picks, and whether they’re on the roster or a two-way, investing in young players, I just- if they come in and crack our rotation, then they’re really good. That’ll be a good thing, too.”

Stevens has yet to make a selection in the first round as president of basketball operations, and given that the 30th pick would come with a guaranteed deal, it’s hard to see that changing this year.

“It will be hard for any draft pick to crack our rotation when healthy,” Stevens added. “So, we’ll think about how we can best 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. So, this will be a good opportunity again to bring in somebody who we think will help us down the road.”

Given the Celtics’ cap situation, using the first-round pick on a player they plan to stash and develop may not be the best course of action, making it hard to envision them sticking with the pick.

Boston’s offseason is shaping up to be quiet in terms of splashy outside additions. Having already secured long-term extensions with Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday and preparing to offer Jayson Tatum a five-year supermax extension worth approximately $315 million and Derrick White a four-year, $126 million extension, major external additions are unlikely.

“We have the opportunity to tweak our team all the way up until February. Last year, we ended up doing it in June and October, and then there wasn’t as much to do once we got to February. We have an opportunity over the next six months to figure that part out,” said Stevens.

“But I think we would be crazy not to say the character and the foundation in this team is right. And let’s see if we can be as consistent as we can, grow, develop, get better, improve, and try some new things on both ends of the floor to add some juice and jolt that way. And then see if we can pick up where we left off. So, I don’t anticipate major changes, at least early on, because I think this team deserves that.”

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 campaign, Stevens hesitates to label the Celtics as favorites but acknowledges the fresh challenges they face in defending their title.

“I don’t know what the league is going to look like in three weeks, so who knows?” Stevens said. “But I know this: Human nature is going 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 and then be great again. But that’s a fun challenge.”