Brad Stevens Issues Stern Warning To Celtics Fans About Next Season originally appeared on NESN.
Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford over the offseason along with Jayson Tatum for most of the year, the Boston Celtics didn’t skip a beat this season, winning 56 games and claiming the two seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, that doesn’t mean the Celtics can just run things back with a healthy Tatum next year. Their playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers exposed their flaws, particularly a lack of size.
They also benefited from a weak Eastern Conference this year and a weak NBA in general, according to Brad Stevens. A staggering 10 teams — one-third of the NBA — finished at least 18 games below .500, making it easy for non-tanking teams like Boston to rise to the top and inflate their record.
Steven doesn’t expect that to be the case next year, however.
“There were a lot of teams, in the NBA, playing for draft positioning this year. And that won’t be the case next year. The league is gonna be a lot better”
Brad Stevens said what everybody thinks: the Celtics success was contextual, and next season is gonna be a lot harder. https://t.co/G9VqQDrWiDpic.twitter.com/FRqgxG3N7B
— Azad (@azmatlanba) May 6, 2026
“There were a lot of teams, in the NBA, that were playing for draft positioning this year, and that will not be the case next year,” Stevens said during Wednesday’s end-of-year press conference. “The league’s gonna be a lot better. The regular season’s gonna be a lot harder. It will probably give you a better indication of what everybody really is.”
Accordingly, the Celtics have to improve just to keep pace with the league, especially after struggling against good teams this year and flaming out against a seven seed in the playoffs.
If they don’t, there will likely be some regression next season, so it’s up to Stevens to enhance the roster this summer and help prepare the team for next year.
More NBA: Brad Stevens Admits Celtics’ Fatal Shortcomings In Shocking Playoff Exit