Brad Stevens decided to end any speculation about wide-ranging trades for the Boston Celtics during the offseason before next season.
After a season in which the club was one victory away from returning to the NBA Finals, the president of sports operations perceives the need for small adjustments and not a restructuring among the leaders or in the group of young players.
“There was a lot that went well, and we can’t lose sight of it,” Stevens said Thursday, during the press conference that marked the end of this campaign’s activities. “It’s not far… It’s really hard to be more competitive, so we have to find a way to improve a little bit.”
For now, Stevens said coach Joe Mazzulla will return after leading the Celtics to 57 wins and second place in the Eastern Conference.
To a direct question about whether Mazzulla is the right person to guide the team going forward, Stevens did not want to leave any doubts.
“Yes, I think it is,” he replied. “I think he did a really good job with this group. Everyone is going to overreact to the best coaches and players after every game. It is always this way. We know this was coming, so we must have the ability to judge things from a general perspective.
The fact that the team finished the regular season in second place in offense and defense and erased a 3-0 deficit in the conference finals is proof of Mazzulla’s leadership, Stevens said.
Mazzulla barely had time to prepare to take the position. He was appointed interim a few days after the start of practice camps.
But Stevens said the quarterback learns extremely quickly.
“He’s only going to get better at whatever he can learn from this year, because he’s constantly trying to do that,” he said. “And he is responsible. When you can show all those things through the expectations and under the microscope that was placed on it, you achieve something that is very difficult.
Stevens said the Celtics do plan to add at least one experienced assistant midway through this year. He would fill the vacancy left by Damon Stoudamire, who left in March to lead Georgia Tech.
As for the roster, Stevens said he always keeps an eye on the league outlook for potential additions that could help. However, he emphasized that he likes the core of his team.
Due to NBA restrictions on what executives can say about players’ pending contracts, Stevens declined to provide details about what decisions would be made on pending contracts.
Some of those decisions involve Jaylen Brown (eligible for a five-year “supermax” contract extension on July 1) or restricted free agent Grant Williams.
2023-06-02 02:22:14
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