After a Week of Celebration, Stevens Turns His Attention to the Draft

BOSTON – After a week of celebrating their championship, the Celtics’ front office is back to work.

On Tuesday morning, Brad Stevens addressed the media, sharing that he and his team are already hard at work preparing for next season.

“Even with all the excitement and celebration, you’re always thinking about the next step,” said Boston’s president of basketball operations.

The next step is the 2024 NBA Draft, happening Wednesday and Thursday nights in a new two-day format. The Celtics hold the 30th and 54th overall picks.

During Stevens’ tenure, Boston hasn’t made a first-round selection since the 2020 Draft, when they picked Payton Pritchard at No. 26 overall. However, Stevens suggested they might keep their late first-round pick if the right player is available.

“If the right person is there at 30, we’ll take them,” Stevens said. “If we have several good options, we’ll explore our flexibility. I expect to make a couple of picks, whether they join the roster or are two-way players. Investing in young talent is crucial. If a rookie makes it into our rotation, it means they’re really good, which would be great.”

Stevens acknowledged that it won’t be easy for a rookie to join a championship-caliber team, especially with most of Boston’s core returning. However, it would be an invaluable experience for a young player to develop alongside such a skilled and high-character group of veterans.

“Maintaining this roster beyond this year involves many moving parts. Specifically for this year, we have most of our guys returning,” Stevens said. “It will be tough for any draft pick to crack our rotation when we’re healthy. So, we’ll focus on investing in young players’ development. If we continue with this group, the veterans will see most of the court time. This draft will be an opportunity to bring in someone who can help us in the future.”