In the past, the Boston Celtics had multiple deep runs in the playoffs. However, they failed to reach the crown every time. But after Brad Stevens added Jrue Holiday to the roster last season, they found the missing piece. The team already had a remarkable line-up with young stars but the veteran presence of Holiday, along with Al Horford, made a significant impact that even the Shamrocks GM, Brad Stevens, acknowledged.

Jrue and Horford served as the glue guys, providing the cohesion the team needed to gel. And that paid dividends throughout the 2023-24 campaign. This time they are ready to repeat the feat and Stevens thinks that is something very achievable. “I mean, if you truly wanna talk about, like, the best vet leadership in the league, there’s no way anybody’s got us beat there,” Stevens said during the C’s press day. The 47-year-old believes no matter how good the other teams are, when it comes to leadership no one stands a chance near Holiday and Horford. Stevens continued, “There’s no one that’s got us beat in veteran leadership. Because those 2 are as good as it gets.” He stated how the two are extremely self-aware and do the right things that are needed.

Stevens further explained what it’s like to be the best player for the Celtics. He also noted how the combo guard and offensive forward fit into it. “Your best players have to exemplify that, and they have to, like you said, be motivated to go back to work. They have to kind of grit their teeth through some of the scrutiny, and they have to also not get too caught up in the praise,” Stevens said. After the championship win last season, the Celtics will be looking to defend that this time. This is important for the team, especially because it something historically not done since the Warriors in 2018. That is the ultimate goal, and it appears all the franchise members abide by the goal head coach Joe Mazzulla has set.

The Celtics fans are likely still occupied with boasting about the team’s achievement last season. However, coach Mazzulla believes in cleaning the slate every season. When he was asked by the reporters how he plans to repeat the title feat, Mazzulla boldly said, “We wanna win a championship every single year. That’s the goal. That is the standard. That’s the expectation.” The 36-year-old believes that past accomplishments should not be carried over. Rather, each new season they should aim to win the championship. While discussing the team’s future, Brad Stevens had to face questions regarding the ownership issue that has been going on.

Brad Stevens opens up about Celtics ownership dispute

Things might look great on the surface for the Boston Celtics. However, underneath, they’re on the brink of a major transformation. The Grousbeck family, who are their majority owners, have decided to sell off their shares due to overspending. When asked about the current situation, Stevens said, “There’s not much that we are doing. Obviously, it’s out of our hands.”

“As I said before, I’m super thankful to Wyc, and Irv and their family for everything they’ve done for us throughout this entire tenure, and our great investor group that we have,” Stevens added. The GM mentioned that the Grousbecks told them the franchise needed to work just like how they were functioning. Irrespective of what the future holds. But from the basketball perspective, this season will be another chance to increase the banner count. This should be before the CBA rules ultimately force a break-up.