Top Priorities for Brad Stevens to Ensure Success as Celtics President
Early Wednesday morning, Danny Ainge shook up the Boston Celtics and the NBA. Ainge retired from his position as president of basketball operations and Brad Stevens moved from the bench as the team's head coach to assume Ainge's role.
Stevens, fresh off a 4-1 series defeat against the Brooklyn Nets, was "worn down" from coaching since the NBA's bubble last season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Celtics went to the Eastern Conference Finals three out of the last five years, but they were never able to get over the hump.
Stevens has been described as worn down with coaching since The Bubble, and welcomed the chance to make the transition to the front office, sources tell ESPN. Stevens will help lead the search for his successor as head coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021
Boston came into the season with top-10 championship odds in the league, but it was bounced out in the first round. Now that he is in the front office, here are some of the moves Stevens has to make in order to get the Celtics back in the NBA Finals.
Celtics Need a Center
Since Al Horford left the Celtics, Boston has had a hole in the middle of its roster. After moving Daniel Theis at the trade deadline, Boston relied heavily on minutes from Tristan Thompson and Robert Williams.
While Williams began to develop nicely, the center position still needs addressing before the 2021-22 season.
Figure Out Kemba Walker's Future
Walker hasn’t been the player the Celtics envisioned when they signed him. Injuries and inconsistent shooting has plagued him in Boston and has hurt Boston's rotation as a whole.
Whether Stevens decides to find a replacement and somehow move Walker, or find a coach that can bring the best out of him, this situation needs a resolution quickly.
Keep Jayson Tatum Happy
Although Tatum just signed an extension to stay in Boston, things can change fast in the NBA. The Celtics went from Eastern Conference Finals contenders to fighting to get into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
Stevens needs to get another star or elevate the players around Tatum because the Celtics’ odds going into the playoffs were not close to the odds from the beginning of the season — and it looks like this might be the situation going forward.