The Celtics are stuck in a disappointing NBA season 2020-21, but don’t expect this to lead to any major changes in the organization.
Although Boston will be taking part in the augurable NBA play-off against the Wizards on Tuesday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Stevens ’job is not in jeopardy. Regardless of what happens to the Celtics in the offseason, Stevens is expected to return with the team.
“Brad Stevens will be back,” Wojnarowski said ESPN’s “Get Up” Tuesday afternoon. “The idea that his job could be jeopardized is simply not true. This is a coach who has been in the conference finals for three of four years. They go [to], of course, continue with Brad Stevens. “
The Celtics are seen as one of the best Eastern Conference candidates coming into the season. However, they never created any momentum during the season and sprinted to a 36-36 record to finish seventh in the East.
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But as Wojnarowski pointed out, Stevens ’teams were still able to reach the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four seasons. This year, their struggles have worsened due to several things.
“They’ve had an outflow of talent in Boston over the last few years. They need to improve their talent and they need a healthy Kemba Walker,” Woj said. “It was a big question for the nature and downfall of this Celtics team.”
In fact, the loss of Gordon Hayward had a major impact on the Celtics. And in previous seasons, the team has lost people like Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown became star-caliber players, Boston’s inability to fill behind them created a lack of depth for the team as a whole.
Injuries are also a problem for the squad. Wojnarowski emphasized Walker’s absence, but the Celtics, had 217 missed games due to injury or COVID this season. It was the 11th in the NBA league and the sixth among the teams that qualified for the playoffs. That certainly had an impact and is part of the reason why Stevens will return next year.
“The chalk will disappoint this season,” Woj said. “I think you’re going to see some moving list this season, but I don’t think you’re going to see a change in their leadership.”
So Stevens seems safe, but he and Danny Ainge will face the difficult task of quickly turning around and getting Boston back on track after a tough season.
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