BOSTON — No rest for the wicked. Those words might as well have been painted on the walls of the Auerbach Center this summer.
For the first time in four years, the Boston Celtics weren’t a part of the Eastern Conference finals. Even in 2021, the NBA was still reeling from The Bubble schedule—their first-round exit in June of that year granted them identical rest to what they earned after a title run in 2024.
Yet during a summer when they should have had more time to relax than most others in recent memory, they didn’t.
Outside of weekend trips, Jayson Tatum was in town, rehabbing his Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown engulfed the Boston community with love. Following his historical EuroBasket run, Neemias Queta got back to work. When the Celtics’ three new rookies first toured the practice facilities, they got to meet all three guys.
That commitment couldn’t have possibly come at a more critical moment in time.
“A lot of people were here,” Derrick White said at Media Day. “We were able to kind of set that foundation. Just had a chance for us to all build and grow and learn together and kind of have that open line about how we're going to do things this year.”
Celtics leadership looks different
Brown. White. Payton Pritchard. Sam Hauser. That is all that remains of the championship rotation from two years ago. That is all that remains from Joe Mazzulla’s core eight-man lineup from just a few months back.
Tatum—Achilles. Jrue Holiday—Portland Trail Blazers. Kristaps Porzingis—Atlanta Hawks. Luke Kornet—San Antonio Spurs. Al Horford—Golden State Warriors.
On the court, the subtractions are drastic. The losses could alter the very essence of what fans have come to know as Celtics basketball. But that change won’t come close to the impact the offseason will have on the locker room.
“It's a different team,” said Queta. “We lost a lot of the main voices in the locker room. A lot of our veteran leadership.”
Holiday is 35 years old with 16 years of NBA experience. Porzingis will hit a decade in the league this season. Kornet was a key on-court vocalizer for Boston, and his goofiness behind the scenes uplifted the entire roster.
Hoford’s impact on the Celtics organization cannot be described with words.
“It's a little bit sad,” said Brown. “A lot of the guys I spent a lot of time with [are gone]. We had such a great group over the last couple of years, to see them not be around anymore, obviously, is going to have an effect on our team.”
And even though Tatum will still be a present figure around the team, it’s not the same.
“It feels completely different,” said Jordan Walsh. “Not only just because Al, Luke, and those guys are gone, but because JT's out. We're not seeing him every day in the workouts. That also makes a big difference, even though he's not as much of a vocal leader as an Al or a Luke. He's more of a silent leader. And so, just not seeing him there, it takes a toll on some of the guys, because we're so used to it.”
There is no replacing what Holiday brought to the table. There is no Tatum alternative. Much like Larry Bird, Horford isn’t walking back through that door. Boston’s locker room will never be the same.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be great. And that’s up to them.
“We got five new players that we got to get onboarded and acclimated into the system,” said Brown. “So, I'm trying to expedite that chemistry building, that trust building, so you guys can see a really good product when we get to the floor. But some of that stuff takes time. So, we'll see how it goes.
“We got a bunch of great guys, young guys, but integrating them into our system, our way of playing basketball, building that chemistry and trust, it doesn't happen overnight. So, we got some work to do, but I'm looking forward to it.”
Brown has been leading the Celtics for years. Tatum’s silent approach has been the Ying to Brown’s clamorous Yang. Now, that Yang will be on its own for the time being.
The Celtics star Twitch streamed his Media Day experience, noting that he’s finally at peace, living in a place where he no longer cares about the opinions of others. He knows how essential his guidance will be this season. If Boston wants to win, it starts with him.
On and off the court.
“JB has always been a leader for us,” said Baylor Scheierman. “I mean, even when JT was, obviously, healthy, and I think, obviously, now that JT is going to be out, he's definitely taking that load on even more.
“He's super motivated as always, and you can definitely tell by the way he's approaching the offseason, the workouts, when he's in the building, just communicating with everybody, making sure everybody's good. And then on the court as well, like I said, his focus and attention to detail in the workouts.”
Patriots games and NBA YoungBoy
The constant offseason activities, whether it be in the gym or on the field, have been pivotal in Brown’s quest to bring this iteration of the Celtics closer together.
“I think he's naturally pretty good at rallying the troops,” said Hauser. “On Sunday, he had a bunch of guys go with him to the Patriots game. Whoever was available went with him. So, stuff like that is cool. And a lot of guys who went were new faces, and it's a good chance for them to get to know Jaylen, him to get to know them, and create those bonds early, and then hopefully it just skyrockets from there.”
Watching Drake Maye dismantle the Carolina Panthers wasn’t a bad first impression for the Boston sports scene to make. Anfernee Simons even plans on making his first-ever baseball game a Boston Red Sox playoff contest.
But the Celtics’ leadership strides aren’t Brown’s to make alone. And football isn’t the lone connector.
“Just last night, me and a lot of the guys went to NBA YoungBoy's concert together,” said Walsh. “Shared some food, had a good time. Just trying to build a family with the new guys, I think that's important.”
Alongside Brown, the rest of the Celtics know what’s at stake. White, Pritchard, and Hauser, in particular, will be irreplaceable this season. “[I've] quickly enough become one of the longest tenured guys here in a weird way,” Hauser noted.
Leadership looks different in everyone. Tatum and Brown’s contrasting styles are obviously the best examples, but Pritchard wants to lead by example. Mazzulla is pushing White to be more active in that regard. Hauser is entering his fifth year in Boston.
A lot of the piercing voices that boomed throughout TD Garden and the Auerbach Center were replaced by guys who have never donned a Celtics jersey. Guys who are entering a new city, planting new roots, and making new friends. That’s not easy to do.
Brown and the rest of Boston’s “old” guard want to make it so.
“Coming here was a lot easier,” said Chris Boucher. “You sometimes feel like, 'Okay, I'm not sure how to approach these guys and all,' but here was a lot easier, and it made me feel like a family.”
And it stretches beyond the players, too.
Joe Mazzulla is the ultimate leader
“Especially Coach Joe,” Boucher continued. “I got baptized this week, and he came to that, too. So, it just shows how much they care and how much they want me to feel comfortable here. So, it's been amazing.”
Continuity can be king in the NBA. And Mazzulla is making the Celtics his own—that won’t change this year. He’s doubling down on all the principles. “I think it's your responsibility, as a coach, to be there for you guys,” he said.
Mazzulla was there when Boucher got baptized. He was at the facility working when it was time to work. He was with Tatum at every step of his recovery. “I was there for the first time he walked. I was there for the first time he ran. I was there for the first shots that he took.”
That’s who he wants to be. That’s how the Celtics will succeed.
“It's important when you try to do that for everybody,” Mazzulla said. “I think one of the things in the off-season that I like to do is build different relationships.”
Every day of Boston’s season will look different. There is no handbook for navigating all the painful differences that are already set in stone. No Tatum. No Horford. No Holiday. No Porzingis. No Kornet. It’s all new.
All that the Celtics can control is the standards they set. The culture they create. How every player is treated and how their talents are maximized.
Leadership is the true guiding light.