Boston Celtics: Brad Stevens shooting his shot with Victor Wembanyama

When a prospect can compare himself to Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert and no one blinks an eye, the said prospect is pretty clearly special. Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens understands that, and despite having one of the projected top teams in 2022-23 and no 2023 NBA Draft pick, is shooting his shot with the French unicorn projected to go No. 1 overall next June.

Victor Wembanyama isn’t a unicorn in the Kristaps Porzingis sense. The former 2015 No. 4 overall pick Porzingis was seen as a potential game-changer and flashed serious skill in his first three seasons, but injuries and attitude issues have led to him becoming a fringe star who hasn’t come close to an All-Star selection since 2018.

No, Wembanyama has better handles, a sweeter-looking shot, and far more burst when driving to the rim. The seven-foot-four big man with an eight-foot reach is the definitive top pick in 2023, barring something drastic over the next nine months.

That’s why Brad Stevens is linking Wembanyama to the Boston Celtics for a potential move ten years from now — something he told French journalist/commentator, Lukas Nicot, in an interview this past weekend (h/t to ClutchPoints for transcript):

"“A lot of our staff will start paying attention, at least, to videos, and what’s online and everything else as early as the middle of high school years, and here obviously, you got some 15, 16, 17 year-olds that are pros in this area of the world. We’re paying attention ’cause you have to always be ready for not only what’s coming your way this year, but 10 years from now.”"

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is the perfect man for the job

Brad Stevens was born for the Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations role, way more so than he was as a head coach at the pro level. Stevens was a genius at Butler, helping launch the career of Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack in back-to-back Final Four seasons from 2009-2011, but he seemed to have difficulty keeping the locker-room together both before and after Kyrie Irving came and went like a hailstorm.

That he is shooting his shot on a prospect he knows he won’t be able to sign until 2030 at earliest shows that he is here for the long-haul. Previously at Butler, Stevens needed to overcome a small-conference setting to reel in top talent, but now he runs the winningest team in NBA history. His recruiting edge will only improve as the teams he constructs continue winning.

Let’s hope that recruiting edge can one day bring a prospect with Victor Wembanyama’s ceiling to the Cs.