Brad Stevens joined the Boston Celtics in 2013 as the team’s head coach. After eight seasons on the job, his role with the team changed as he headed to the front office to become the president of basketball operations.
11 years after joining the franchise, he achieved the ultimate goal. The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, bringing the 18th championship to the franchise.
It was a tumultuous path at times, as Brad Stevens got close in his first season in the front office. The Boston Celtics won the Eastern Conference that season but lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
What will the team do for an encore during the 2024-25 season? Brad Stevens knows there will be a target on the team’s back; that is part of what happens when you win a title. But, he isn’t expecting major changes, as the 2024 NBA offseason will likely be a quiet one in Beantown.
“We’ll always evaluate how to make our team better,” Stevens said. “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.”
The Boston Celtics will have their entire core back for at least one more season. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown have already inked long-term extensions with the team.
This offseason, the same is expected to happen with Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Al Horford remains under contract as well, meaning their top six, at the very least, will be returning to defend the NBA Championship.
Brad Stevens will have a chance to add to the roster as the Celtics have two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, Nos. 30 and 54. However, don’t expect those picks to be used on players that will help immediately, as they will put an emphasis on the future and development.
“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,” Stevens 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.”
Keeping a championship core together long-term is never an easy thing to do. But, the Boston Celtics will be able to do that for at least one more season.
As Brad Stevens said, they will need to continue developing and growing the team. Remaining stagnant is not the way to repeat, as teams are already improved in the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets makes them an even bigger threat to the Celtics going back-to-back.
