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Justin Quinn, and Cameron Tabatabaie

Projecting the Boston Celtics’ 2023-24 season part II: The front office

Stevens Celtics Boston (Organization) The Celtics Wire the Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Mazzulla Jayson Tatum Jaylen Brown JQ

We are inching closer to the Boston Celtics‘ 2023 training camp, the NBA’s preseason, and the 2023-24 season beyond it, but a number of questions remain unanswered about this storied ball club’s potential, weaknesses, strengths, and what we expect from the team on a granular level.

To such an end, the Celtics Wire has put together a comprehensive analysis of various facets of the team, including ownership, the front office, players, and prospects for hardware in the upcoming season featuring Cameron Tabatabaie, Adam Taylor, and Justin Quinn doing their best to project the highs, lows, and important aspects of the season soon to arrive.

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Let’s take a look at what we believe we’ll see once the dust settles on the season out of the team’s front office in part II of this four-part series.

How do we feel about Brad's work as a whole so far? Are we confident he can land this plane with a banner?

Justin Quinn: If I am being completely honest. not very — but that is neither a reflection on Stevens nor the Celtics.

Winning a title is very, very hard, and requires a heap of luck alongside great basketball minds and better basketball bodies. But he also only has about 2.5 seasons to land that plane before this iteration of the team will see major changes — if not sooner.

Adam Taylor: There hasn’t really been a move I have disagreed with since Brad took over in the front office. Sure, there have been players I’ve felt weren’t a great fit, but on the whole, Stevens has been knocking his moves out of the park.

This offseason is no different. Stevens knew some changes needed to be made, and he took his opportunities as they presented themselves.

Cameron Tabatabie: Stevens has been nothing short of ambitious. Like his predecessor, he’s been quite proactive, often making moves before consensus would dictate. This offseason is no exception. The Marcus Smart trade stings, but 18 months from now we could be feeling really different about it.

As such, maybe he lands the plane. But winning is insanely difficult, and if Boston comes up short, I’m not sure it’s because of roster design, even if the Kristaps Porzingis move is a massive one.

How much rope does Stevens get if no title is won with the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core?

JQ: Stevens could probably survive this contention arc expiring without a title so long as the team remains in the mix while financially viable and with no major missteps on his part.

Ownership is supportive, and the Celtics are a team that values continuity over fleeting public perception so long as the results are in line with their internal expectations, and we have seen little to suggest that is not the case.

AT: In terms of rope, I think Stevens has earned the freedom to operate as he sees fit within the confines of the budget ownership has laid out for the ball club.

I don’t see it as a “rope with this core” thing — instead, I think Stevens has been empowered to do what he deems necessary to land Banner 18.

CT: The team has been through a lot of change in recent years. I would imagine there’s some emphasis on stability, even if a title is by far the key goal.

I also imagine ownership has at least signed off on some of the big moves during the Stevens era. Stevens has a great standing in the organization, and I don’t think his job status is being monitored very closely.

What would need to happen for him to end up on the hot seat?

AT: For Stevens to end up in the hot seat, things have to go drastically wrong.

I honestly think it would take both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown requesting trades at the same time because that would mean Stevens has failed to build a contending team around them for multiple seasons.

JQ: Things would have to go pretty poorly for Stevens to end up on the hot seat.

Some might think a serious injury (or worse, multiple) on a team constructed from multiple, injury-prone players would do it, and while that certainly wouldn’t help, it would take something far worse in my opinion akin to what Adam mentions.

Glaring chemistry issues won’t do it either, whether we’re talking amongst the players or the coaching staff, but a very rough season coupled with an early postseason exit might — this roster is at the stage where the results have to justify the expenditures, and only an egregious failure in terms of postseason play and the lead-up to it would turn the heat on Stevens’ tenure. Injuries happen and co-workers get irked. It’s the output that the Celtics president will be judged by.

CT: Things move quickly in the NBA. If the relationship between Tatum and the organization hypothetically soured, change could be quick.

There’s not a shred of evidence to suggest that’s a present concern, but an unhappy Tatum would be the fastest way for things to go south for the Stevens regime.

Speaking of rope, how much does Mazzula get before he's on the hot seat?

AT: I think the Celtics will give Mazzulla some leeway to begin the season. There’s a load of new faces that need to be integrated into the team’s rotation, and likely a new focus and system for the players to learn.

It’s in the postseason where Mazzulla could find himself walking a tightrope. Anything less than another Eastern Conference Finals appearance (at the least) will be a clear failure and could put him on the hot seat heading into next summer.

JQ: I think Mazzulla would have to have a fairly bad season as a coach — and I make that distinction because it’s how he performs in his job as opposed to the potential persistence of structural issues in high-leverage moments he could but should not be blamed for if they return — to be on the hot seat.

If he leans too hard into things that don’t work or makes very bad mistakes at key moments, it could happen — but I’m not expecting it.

CT: Mazzulla just signed a new deal with Boston, and the Celtics may prioritize stability given how the last few years have played out.

Head coaches are often scapegoats, but even if this next season is a catastrophe, I don’t think Mazzulla will ever be genuinely on the hot seat anytime soon.

What does regular season success look like for Joe? What about postseason success? What's acceptable, if anything, below a chip?

AT: The regular season will be about minutes management and showing that he’s willing to adapt the team’s style of play if something isn’t working. Last season, one of the biggest knocks on Mazzulla’s leadership was his perceived stubbornness – that will need to be fixed if we want to say the regular season was a success in terms of development.

The results won’t matter much during the middle of the season, so it’s about building habits, developing a team spirit, and adding to the playbook. Once the postseason rolls around, success is winning a championship, nothing more, nothing less.

JQ: In the regular season, he needs to embrace his vision on the court, but also strike a balance between protecting his players and interacting with the media in ways that don’t create additional friction for his team. He seemed to find his way in that regard as last season wound down, but he still has a way to go regarding that delicate balance.

Postseason, it’s just further refinement of the above. Win-loss records in either should not be significantly reflected by what he does in terms of tactics, but less than a conference finals return would be a disappointment given the talent and the past example we have of what Mazzulla can do even without a camp to instill it strategically.

CT: Mazzulla needs to just keep things humming for Boston. They don’t need to get out and sprint in the regular season so long as they are ironing out the right offensive rhythm and a defensive identity.

Walking into the playoffs with a lackluster defense would be problematic. If the Celtics get beat down the line, so be it. If they flame out or beat themselves, that would be undeniably disappointing.

How to manage health, and rest with this roster? Does seeding matter?

CT: Seeding is far less important than health. Homecourt advantage wasn’t really a thing for the Celtics last year, and they dropped three home games against the Heat alone. Health is by far the most essential concern for the Celts.

Apropos of any injuries, resting Tatum and Brown shouldn’t be a top priority. Managing minutes and expectations for Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III is a different story, however. Unless they bring in another starter-quality big man or are aiming to play small, this could be a consistent challenge for Boston.

AT: Mazzulla was thrust into the head coaching position with a moment’s notice last season. In that time he had to design an offensive system and try to build on the success of the Celtics defense from the year prior. Add the stress of keeping the team focused and leading a team of coaches who were passed over for the job, and Mazzulla did the best he could given the circumstances. Even if I didn’t like his three-point heavy system.

In terms of regular-season success, I think 55 wins is a fair target. Most importantly, though, it’s about bouncing back from bad stretches quickly. Last season, everything went downhill when Boston went on their first West Coast swing and suffered some tough losses, it took weeks for the team to bounce back, and they never really hit their stride again.

Seeding isn’t the make-or-break for Boston. A top-three finish is fine, but a first seed should always be the goal. In terms of resting players, I think we see a similar approach to last year – sitting Horford on back-to-backs, maybe bringing Robert Williams off the bench, and taking an overall holistic approach to health.

JQ: With only two stars and both of them young and seemingly healthy, the PPP should not be a major factor for Boston next season. That said, there’s a real concern for overplaying the team’s older and/or more injury-prone players as happened last season.

I don’t expect Joe to play his roster like he’s fighting for his job now that he is not an interim coach and has the support he needs behind him, but minutes need managing as much or more than back-to-backs and the like — and that goes for younger starters as well.

As far as seeding goes, I have to agree with my colleagues. Rest is more important than home court as the Eaqst now stands — no team as currently constructed should be able to beat Boston in seven games so long as their main players are healthy.

What do we expect from the assistants as a whole? Lee specifically? Cassell specifically?

AT: The loss of Ben Sullivan will hurt Boston. However, the additions of Sam Cassell and Charles Lee bring NBA experience and veteran voices into the equation.

Mazzulla will now have two new brains to pick, along with bouncing ideas off some experienced heads. I think the new coaching staff is an upgrade, and we should see the benefits during close games and throughout the postseason.

JQ: Lee I expect to be more of a culture setter. His bedside manner as an assistant precedes him — and rightfully so; his approach to the job is to make his players confident, focused, and believing in the certainty of their capabilities to win.

Cassell is the tough voice who won’t let nonsense, timidity, laziness, sulking, and the like creep into the team’s play as a near-ideal bad cop to Lee’s good, letting Mazzulla focus on tactics and the bigger picture.

CT: Assistant coaches have all sorts of roles across the NBA. It’s still unclear what it means to be an assistant for Joe Mazzulla.

Lee and Cassell will be great mentors for Boston’s core, and help add veteran voices to the locker room. Mazzulla isn’t just young, but he’s also reasonably hands-off. Having trusted lieutenants at his side might be a way to buttress this approach.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

More Analysis

Should the Boston Celtics try to trade for Jrue Holiday in the wake of the Dame-to-Bucks deal?

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