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New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
In Celtics' delicate balancing act, Brad Stevens is optimist and realist at the same time
BOSTON — Brad Stevens, full-time president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics and part-time astronomer, took to the skies Tuesday morning. 'My expectations are always the same — compete like hell to win the next game,' Stevens said, speaking to a media gathering at the Auerbach Center. 'That's always been it, it will always be it. … I've said many times the North Star for me is winning championships.' Advertisement The for-real North Star, 432 light years from Earth, has been an important navigational tool for more than two millennia. As an aspirational tool, it's something Stevens rolls out now and then to make a point, as he did May 19, three days after the Celtics were eliminated from the Eastern Conference semifinals by the New York Knicks. 'The North Star is to have a championship contender,' he said that day. Be it winning a championship or merely competing for one, the problem now facing Stevens is that his aspirational North Star, though not light years away, likely won't be reached by the 2025-26 Celtics. It's just that you won't hear him say anything of the sort. For one thing, Stevens has presented himself as an optimist during his entire Boston experience, beginning in 2013 when then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge recruited him from Butler to coach the Celtics. 'When the term rebuild came up (in 2013), I thought it was a crazy term,' Stevens said. 'None of us were here before, so it should be build, right? You're always building and building toward something. And for this group, we've got so many guys back there that are really good players that it's not going to be part of the lexicon of the building.' And there's this: Though candor and honesty are appreciated, I doubt Celtics fans, one year removed from celebrating a championship, want to hear the guy who runs the shop deliver a pessimistic forecast about the upcoming season. Bill Chisholm, the incoming owner, probably doesn't want to hear it, either. Maybe Stevens learned from Ainge, who had a talent for not being a Danny Downer. So Stevens sincerely sells sunshine. (Try saying that five times fast.) Yes, Jayson Tatum is in the very early stages of a rehabilitation program as he recovers from the ruptured Achilles tendon in his right leg that he suffered during Game 4 of the Knicks series. Yes, Stevens has chosen to make his living in a world of salary caps, second aprons and needing to make the numbers work. Yes, the departures from last year's title team now include Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Luke Kornet and most likely Al Horford. Advertisement 'Bill (Chisholm) has been pretty clear from the get-go, he wants to make sure that we're prioritizing basketball assets and the ability to retool this thing at the highest level that we can,' Stevens said. 'The most important acquisition that we're going to be able to make in the next couple of years is getting Tatum out of the boot … that's going to be the best thing that can happen for us.' Brad Stevens didn't shy away from why the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis: 'The second apron is why.' — Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) July 8, 2025 The Celtics will have Jaylen Brown and Derrick White on the court next season. In the matter of Payton Pritchard, Stevens said, 'I haven't thought a ton about how much roster change will change his work ethic because it's always at the highest. He's as good as it gets with his work. Payton will prioritize winning, which he always has. … It's what he does. It's who he is.' Now then, where is the realism? Stevens has been open about the numbers game, as on Tuesday when he said, yet again, 'At the end of the day, we've been in that area, or in that second-apron area, for two straight years. We knew that being in it a third straight year was going to be very punitive.' That's something that was lurking. And then came the Tatum injury. Stevens can discuss it on two levels — from a business perspective and, as corny as it sounds, a human level. 'I knew when I walked back to the locker room, there was probably a moment that night, staying in New York, being on the phone, talking about it, thinking about it,' Stevens said in response to a question about coming to grips with the seriousness of Tatum's injury. Stevens couldn't help but revisit the injury while he was watching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. Stevens said he and Celtics vice president of basketball operations Michael Zarren reached out to their counterparts on the Pacers. Advertisement 'Mike and I were both in conversation with their GMs, (saying) anything we could do to help, let us know, because we've been through it, it looked like that on TV,' Stevens said. 'Those are hard things to go through, and they're emotional. But it's more emotional, and it's probably more impactful for how you feel about the player. You hate to see it.' I doubt very much the cool kids in marketing will be rolling out a glitzy campaign along the lines of 'The 2025-26 Celtics: Optimistic, Realistic.' Things could be much worse. But, man, so much has changed since the last time the Celtics rode the duck boats through the Back Bay, and it changed in a hurry.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Celtics president gives Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown injury updates
BOSTON — As the Celtics go through a summer of roster changes, behind the scenes, their two stars are rehabbing their own injuries. Jayson Tatum's ruptured Achilles tendon has been well-documented as he's expected to miss most of next season, if not all of it. Jaylen Brown also underwent knee surgery after playing on a partially torn meniscus during the playoffs. C's president Brad Stevens gave an update on the two stars Wednesday following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. While their respective rehab process is of varying lengths, it sounds like both of them are consistently at the Auerbach Center to make sure they're getting as much treatment as they can. Advertisement 'Jayson has been here pretty much every day and then Jaylen traveled a little bit before he got the surgery and has been back most of the time after, and he's doing great,' Stevens said. 'His rehab looks good. He was actually on the court the other day doing some ball-handling and light work around the rim, nothing big movement-wise yet. But I think his timeline, again, we said be ready for training camp, and I think he'll probably be going full well ahead of that. 'So, we'll see. So we've seen both those guys very frequently. Jaylen's been here working with Drew Moore on all his rehab, and Jayson with Nick (Sang). It's usually the time of year I don't see those guys a lot. They usually rest and get away. But they both prioritize getting better and rehabbing, and after a long season, I appreciate that about them.' Brown is expected to be ready for training camp, so there's no long-term concern with him. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP toughed out his knee issues as it was clear he wasn't fully healthy during the Celtics' playoff run. Originally, the Celtics star mulled over whether to get surgery or not, ultimately deciding to get the operation. Tatum's ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered against the Knicks, changed the equation for the franchise. As Stevens pointed out, their biggest challenge is that their perennial first-team All-NBA talent is walking around in a boot. It's also partly why the Celtics made their trades this past week, dealing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Stevens wasn't permitted to comment on either move as they're not official yet. Advertisement For now, the Celtics are moving on with their offseason. The front office likely still has some moves coming even though they've dipped under the second apron. But, as expected, Tatum and Brown will continue their rehab process behind the scenes in preparation for next season and beyond. 'We won't put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,' Stevens said of Tatum. 'As we look at it, there's no reason to. It's baby steps right now. He's actually progressed great, but I don't know what that means with regard to projected timelines. And that'll be in consultation with him and Nick and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure he is, when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.' More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtics' Brad Stevens Sends Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Message
Celtics' Brad Stevens Sends Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Message originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Celtics entered the offseason facing significant uncertainty about their championship core. Six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum is currently rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during the Eastern Conference semifinals and is widely expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season. Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, recently underwent minor knee surgery and has been ramping up rehab to return ahead of training camp. Advertisement The Celtics also made sweeping roster changes over the week, trading guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks, with more roster change potentially on the way. Boston Celtics forwards Jayson Tatum (0) and Jaylen Brown (7)© David Butler II-Imagn Images Amid these shifts, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens addressed the media after Wednesday's NBA Draft. Stevens gave an update on Tatum and Brown, praising both players' shared commitment to their recoveries: 'They've both prioritized getting better and rehabbing,' he stated during draft-night remarks. 'After a long season, I appreciate that about them,' confirming that both Tatum and Brown have been working out at the Auerbach Center frequently this offseason. Stevens noted that Tatum is making solid progress but emphasized that the team will not impose any return timeline. 'It's baby steps right now,' he said when discussing Boston's cautious approach to his rehabilitation (via ESPN). Advertisement Following a championship run in 2024, Boston finished second in the Eastern Conference last season, but fell short to the New York Knicks in the Conference Semifinals. While they may not return next season as a title-contending team, the Celtics will still hope to compete in the playoffs next year. Related: Fans Bracing for Jaylen Brown Trade After Celtics' Posts Related: Cooper Flagg Turns Heads With Jayson Tatum Message After NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Celtics give injury updates on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
There is no timeline for Jayson Tatum to return from his ruptured Achilles, and the Boston Celtics don't anticipate having one anytime soon. At least the news is better on Boston's other injured star, Jaylen Brown. Celtics president of basketball ops. Brad Stevens held court with reporters late Wednesday night after taking Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez with the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft, but also gave a quick update on the health and well-being of Boston's top two players. Stevens said both Tatum and Brown have been training at the Auerbach Center on a daily basis and are fully committed to their rehabs. "It's usually the time of the year when I don't see those guys a lot," said Stevens. "They usually go and kind of rest, and get away, but they've both prioritized getting better and rehabbing, and after a long season, I appreciate that about them." No timeline for Jayson Tatum Tatum ruptures his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, but was able to undergo surgery the very next day. That is expected to expedite his return, though he'll likely miss the entire 2025-26 season. And the Celtics are not going to rush the 27-year-old back. Stevens was asked if there is a timeline for Tatum's return, and said not to expect one for a while. "We don't and we won't. We won't put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time," said Stevens. "As we look at it, there's no reason to. It's baby steps right now." Stevens said that Tatum has "progressed great" so far, but knows it's a long road ahead for the six-time NBA All-Star. "I don't know what that means with regard to projected timelines," he said. "That'll be in consultation with him and [team trainers] Nick [Sang] and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure that when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. That will be the priority." Jaylen Brown expected back before training camp Stevens gave a soft timeline for Brown, who had to undergo a procedure for a partially torn meniscus. Brown has already returned to limited on-court activities, and the Celtics are expecting him to be ready to go "well ahead" of training camp. "He's doing great," Stevens said of Brown. "His rehab looks good. He was actually on the court the other day doing some ball handling and doing some light work around the rim. Nothing big movement-wise yet." Priorities for rest of Celtics offseason While the moves aren't yet official, the Celtics are reportedly trading away veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, moves that have put the team get under the vaunted second apron. Stevens couldn't discuss the trades on Wednesday, but said the team has been focused on regaining flexibility and maximizing their assets and trade returns. Now that the Celtics are out of the second apron and have some wiggle room to sign players, Stevens is making his priority for the rest of the offseason clear. It includes bringing back a pair of fan favorites to the Boston frontcourt in veteran Al Horford and reserve big man Luke Kornet. "As you look at the rest of the team and what we're trying to do, there's no question our priorities would be to bring Al and Luke back. Those guys are huge parts of this organization," said Stevens. Both are free agents, and would likely have to take a team-friendly deal to return to Boston. "They're going to have, I'm sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that's well deserved," said Stevens. "But that would be a priority. At the same time, I don't want to put pressure on them. It would be their call, ultimately, but we would love to have those guys back." The Celtics are scheduled to make the second pick in Thursday night's second round of the NBA Draft -- No. 32 overall -- and a pair of promising big men remain on the board in Stanford's Maxime Raynaud and Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Torrey Craig gives an update on Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum's Achilles rehab
Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been keeping a low profile since he went down with a torn Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. And given the anguish that injury created for the St. Louis native, we can hardly blame him. But Tatum has been, by all accounts, hard at work rehabbing that ankle so he can get back on the court as soon as possible and better than ever. Veteran teammate Torrey Craig has been in Auerbach Center this summer as well, and has seen the Duke alum grinding. "He loves the game so much and basketball means so much to him," said Craig in a recent interview with CLNS Media's Noa Dalzell and Bobby Manning. "He puts so much hard work into it, and dedication and sacrifice, and all of the above. For something like this to happen at that moment, in the playoffs, it's just gut-blowing." Advertisement Check out the full interview for yourself in the clip embedded below, courtesy of the "Garden Report" podcast. If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Torrey Craig updates on Celtics star Jayson Tatum's Achilles rehab
