Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens likely did not think he would have to report for his 2025-26 exit interview this early.
But after watching his team blow a 3-1 series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, they find themselves at home during the second round for the first time since 2021.
The collapse, along with several eyebrow-raising comments from superstar Jaylen Brown, revealed red flags about the Celtics’ future.
Stevens didn’t lay out the exact blueprint for what’s ahead, but he made one thing clear: the Celtics will need to improve their roster in multiple ways to get to where they want to be.
Where Did Things Go Wrong?
Stevens’ opening statement was him taking accountability on behalf of the Celtics for the series loss.
Offense was Stevens’ top concern. Considering the Celtics failed to surpass 100 points in each of the four losses in the series, that’s a reasonable place to start.
“We had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot,” Stevens said. “One of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim — and we need to add to our team to do that.”
Stevens addressed several questions about the team’s three-point attempts throughout the press conference, but he emphasized a displeasure with the team’s two-point offense as well.
“Every one of us would prefer a dunk over a three. Those are hard to get, and we struggle to generate them.”
Impact in the paint will be a trait for fans to watch out for as the Celtics upgrade their roster in the offseason. Boston finished 29th in total dunks made in 2025-26 with just 255 — less than half of the Detroit Pistons’ 583 made dunks.
With their struggles creating open shots, winning the offensive rebounding margin was a must. They fell flat in that area late in the series.
“One of the defining things that they did to us in Games 5 through 7 was they cleaned up the glass, which had been a real boost for us.”
For a team that leaned heavily on offensive rebounding all season (12.7 per game) their 18 total in the last two games didn’t give them much margin for error. Ultimately, they lost that edge, which is a crucial reason why their offensive rating in the halfcourt plummeted. In the halfcourt, their offensive rating was just 95.9 — which would have ranked 24th in the league during the regular season, per Cleaning the Glass.
Stevens Downplays Jaylen Brown Speculation
The most immediate storyline following the loss centered on Jaylen Brown. Brown’s postgame comments, and then a personal Twitch livestream less than 24 hours after the Game 7 loss, sparked heated discussion among fans.
Speculation around Brown’s future grew stronger when his mentor Tracy McGrady said there are deeper issues behind the scenes between Brown and the organization.
“His frustration lies deeply within the organization that we don’t have the details to,” McGrady said (H/T @SavageBoston on X).
Stevens pushed back on that narrative, saying his most recent conversation with Brown was “nothing but positive,” with no frustrations expressed directly. He instead highlighted the history of their relationship as two of the longest-tenured individuals in the Celtics organization.
“We’ve been here 10 years together,” Stevens said. “I love JB. Everybody around here loves JB.”
Stevens wasn’t asked, nor did he comment on Brown’s long-term future or trade availability.
Still, as smoke continues to spread about Brown’s enjoyment of having his own team this year, and the Celtics needing to self-assess after a first-round exit, fans will once again endure an offseason of Jaylen Brown trade speculation.
An Honest Assessment of the Roster
Stevens walked a careful line when evaluating this season. He praised the internal development that fueled a strong regular season, but recognized that postseason results ultimately define success.
“When you get beat in the first round, you’re not there,” Stevens said.
He pointed to the team’s 3-11 record against the top three seeds in each conference as a revealing benchmark.
“That’s where the honest assessment part’s gotta come in.”
Stevens also hinted that the Celtics may have benefited from a regular season environment that didn’t fully reflect playoff intensity.
“There were teams playing for draft position this year, and that won’t be the case next year,” he said. The NBA changed it’s draft lottery odds for next season in a way that will incentivize teams winning to a new level. “That will probably give you a better indication of what everybody really is.”
The Celtics picked up quality wins, especially in March as Jayson Tatum returned. Still, the gap between the NBA’s regular season and postseason is at an all-time high. Boston seemed to have gotten away with certain roster flaws during the regular season that were relentlessly exposed in their first-round series.
That idea aligns with how the front office approached the trade deadline. The move to acquire Nikola Vučević in exchange for Anfernee Simons may have been made to help provide support for their center rotation — which went on to be one of their fatal flaws — but it was financially driven and was never a level of move to indicate an all-in push for this season.
Instead, the roster appeared built to remain competitive, evaluate young talent, and maintain financial flexibility — rather than maximize championship odds this season.
What Comes Next?
Despite the disappointing finish, Stevens gave no indication that sweeping changes are coming.
Joe Mazzulla is expected to return after another strong regular season, and Stevens emphasized the organization’s belief in this year’s internal growth.
“This year some strengths appeared that were a direct result of really good development and really good coaching,” Stevens said.
That’s what makes the early exit harder to reconcile for Stevens.
“If you would’ve told me last summer that we would’ve won 56 games in the regular season, that the young guys would all become contributors, that people would have great impact up and down our roster, that we would get Tatum back for 20 games: I would’ve been thrilled,” Stevens laid out. “But the reality is we came up short so now the job is to do an honest assessment.”
While Stevens avoided any dramatic declaration, he made it clear that while progress was made, the Celtics still fell short of expectations. And while some of their internal development will be utilized for next season, changes to the roster will be made.
You can watch Brad Stevens’ full press conference on the Boston Celtics YouTube page
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