Brad Stevens didn’t need a long speech Tuesday to explain the state of his Celtics. He pointed to the floor.
As Boston introduced Paul George and Mike Conley at the Auerbach Center, Stevens described the practice court being refurbished as a yearly reset - a blank canvas for whatever comes next.
“We had our season launch yesterday, and at that I had one picture behind me while I was speaking and it was of the court being refurbished,” Stevens said. “That happens every year right around the end of July.
And to me, every single year you go through it looks like a blank canvas of the court being absolutely redone, nobody’s stepped on it, and now it’s that year’s team to write its own chapter. I’ve felt that way every time they do it.
It’s one of my favorite times to be in the building, except for the smell.”
That image fits where the Celtics are now. The Jaylen Brown trade is in the books, and the real judgment on it will come later, once the rest of Stevens’ work is finished and this version of the team has had time to answer for what’s gone and what’s arrived.
For now, Boston is operating with a different look and a different challenge. The roster has been reshaped, and Stevens is asking this group to leave its own mark.
“It’s a new team,” Stevens said. “Every team’s got its own opportunity to write its own chapter.
That would be [the case] if we brought back most of our roster. … I really like this group.
I really think this group will be good.”
There’s no way around the loss of Brown. It hit hard and sparked plenty of emotion. But the Celtics still have a case to make in the East, and this roster has enough to suggest it can land among the conference’s best.
The more interesting part is how Stevens framed the whole thing. He talked like a man staring at a freshly refinished court, but the reality is a little messier than that.
Boston didn’t exactly build this team from scratch. The apron rules have pushed front offices into awkward places, and the Celtics are in the business of making the old look new - fresh paint, new fixtures, and whatever else can be found on clearance.
Even so, the job is the same. This group gets the floor now. It gets the first dribbles, the first test runs, the first chance to make the place feel like home.
And George made it clear he sees the opening that comes with it.
“It's a new group, it’s a new opportunity,” Paul George said. “I think they're getting someone that's ready to not fill the shoes or fill the void of JB. But from a personal standpoint, myself, I think I can come in and kind of still keep us in that contention and give us a chance to win.”
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Celtics Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Decision Fans Will Want To Watch
Mitchell Robinsons arrival gives Boston a new wrinkle in the frontcourt after the Celtics added the former Knicks big man fresh off a championship season in New York. For a team that has spent plenty of time sorting out how its centers fit together, the move creates another layer to a rotation already built around size, rim protection and matchup-specific choices.
Neemias Queta seemed to welcome the competition, saying he was positive about Robinson joining the team and leaving the rotation call to Joe Mazzulla. Queta also made the case that he and Robinson bring different strengths, which could matter depending on the opponent and the game plan, and that is exactly why this is worth watching once the season starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
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Mike Conleys arrival in Boston looks less like a splashy roster move and more like a targeted effort to steady the Celtics guard room. The veteran point guard signed a one-year contract and has already begun working closely with Payton Pritchard, offering the kind of day-to-day guidance that can matter just as much as minutes in the rotation. With Jaylen Brown traded, the Celtics have every reason to make sure their backcourt keeps developing in the right direction.
Conley has been clear that he may not have a major on-court role, but he can still help in ways that show up over the course of a season. For a team leaning on Pritchard to grow into a bigger piece, that makes Conley a useful addition beyond the box score. His early impression is that of a pro who understands the assignment, and Boston will be hoping the mentorship pays off in the place it matters most, on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Begin Explaining Their Post Jaylen Brown Overhaul
The Celtics spent the start of their offseason makeover laying out the logic behind a roster that looks a lot different after the trade sending Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia brought Paul George and multiple draft picks back to Boston. At a press conference introducing George and Mike Conley Jr., the team also noted Mitchell Robinson was absent because of a personal matter, underscoring just how much change has already swept through a group that has also added Robinson and Conley in free agency.
Beyond the headline moves, Boston has continued to work on the edges of the roster, locking in contract extensions for Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta. The bigger story, though, is how the Celtics intend to sell this new era after moving one of the franchises defining players, and the first public step came with George and Conley front and center while the rest of the plan remains in motion. [Read more 🡒]