Brad Stevens Has Put His Nuts On The Table This Offseason When It Comes To Building His Basketball Team

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To put it simply, Brad Stevens has put his nuts on the table when it comes to building the 2023-24 Boston Celtics. There's really no other way to say it. Since the season ended in both terrible and extremely embarrassing fashion, it's pretty clear that Brad has had one goal on his mind.

Retool this roster in a way that finally brings home that elusive 18th banner.

Any and every move has been about two things.

1). Does this move accentuate the two best players (Tatum and Brown)?

2). Does this move bring them closer to a title?

That's it. That's all that matters. If you find yourself on the Celts roster, it means the answer is yes to both of those questions. 

Of course, some of these moves are more of a risk than others. For example, shipping out Marcus Smart and bringing back Porzingis is quite the gamble. There are both benefits and risks to a move like that and we'll have to see it on the court to know which one we're going to get. There was not matching Grant's RFA offer and instead trusting that he could replace that skillset. 

If you watched last season, I think it was pretty clear that one area of need was wing depth. So what did Brad do? Not only did he draft a wing who profiles as someone who could already defend at the NBA level right away and gives you some of the energy you lost by moving Smart, but he also signed three more additional wings, all with a different dimension to their game.

You have Oshae Brissett who is a high energy wing/stretch four who can knock down threes and attack the rim. You have Svi who is the pure 40% shooter. And now in an effort to shore up his defense anymore, we have this

Earlier this summer there was a debate if Brad should go with Stevens over someone like Svi given the need for defense, and he responded to that question by telling us we're all morons because he intended to sign them both. Classic Brad. 

If you were someone who was maybe concerned about the intensity and toughness loss with Smart and Grant gone, Brad has immediately addressed that issue. Brissett, Walsh, and Stevens all check that box. Having another athletic wing with good size who is a proven NBA wing defender is something the roster could use so that you don't truly have to be relying on a rookie in Walsh to provide that immediately. Offensively Lamar Stevens is pretty brutal, his shooting certainly isn't what I would call "good", but it can be serviceable. Just stand in the corner and make an open 3PA as far as I'm concerned. I'm much more interested in what he brings defensively because that's how you make an impact without needing the ball. 

So as things stand today with a few weeks to go before camp opens, here's how the roster looks

(also add Neemias Queta as a Two Way big)

Admittedly, the bigs group does have me a little nervous, but not because of their basketball ability. Worrying about health is simply our collective life now that we need to put our eggs into a Brogdon/Porzingis/Rob basket. 

But everywhere else? I see legit size. I see legit shooting. I see high energy players. Remember, Banton's deal is nonguaranteed until Opening Night, so there's still a chance for additional tweaks as we get closer to the season. 

That's why I think it's fair to say that the pressure sure as shit is on Brad heading into this season. He's had a blank check to work with when it comes to building this roster. He's allowed to build it however he sees fit. If this doesn't work, it's all on him really. If trading Smart for Porzingis doesn't solve any of the late game offensive issues that ended their previous seasons, it's a bit of a disaster. If relying on an older and injury prone frontcourt blows up in our faces, that's on Brad. If either Brogdon's health or his attitude is a problem, we know where to look.

While I think we can all understand the risks here, you also have to remember that since Brad took over and building the roster became his responsibility, we've seen nothing but the best Celts teams in recent memory. Pretty much every move he's made has worked. Until that's no longer the case, I don't see how as fans we can't just trust he knows what the hell he's doing. Whether that's the tough to stomach trade like Smart or the end of the bench signings like Stevens/Svi. It's clear Brad has a basketball vision of how this team needs to be constructed to finally get over the hump, and it's clear he will stop at nothing until he achieves it.

Will it work out in the end? Well, that's only happened one time in my 36 years on this planet so who the hell knows. But what I do know is this team has zero excuses when it comes to finally reaching the top of the mountain. The coaching is there, the talent is there, they have an owner willing to spend and a GM who seems to know what the hell he's doing.

Now just get me to late October and let's get this shit started.