How Celtics focused on ‘knowns’ to find 2025-26 success amid clear limitations

BOSTON — During Media Day last September, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens asked for patience when it came to his new roster. And while that sounded like a request that usually accompanies low expectations for a team, he wasn’t finished speaking.

“Don’t put a ceiling on us,” he added.

Brad Stevens discussed the Celtics’ underdog status and how he’s excited for the “unproven guys” to show what they have:

“Be patient with the fact that we are getting some new guys together, but at the same time…don't put a ceiling on us.” pic.twitter.com/UJtJUBODaI

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) September 29, 2025

Where pundits and outsiders saw flaws within the 2025-26 Celtics — who were missing multiple key starters from last season and were expected to be without star forward Jayson Tatum for several months, if not the whole season — Stevens saw opportunity. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shared that same optimistic vision, as he even called guard Derrick White in July and told him how much he loved that everybody was underestimating the new-look C’s.

To the surprise of many, Stevens and Mazzulla were right. The Celtics exceeded the preseason projections placed upon them without Tatum and went 41-21 while he was rehabbing. Since his triumphant return on March 6, Boston looks more limitless than ever and is 13-2 with him in the lineup.

A few hours before the Celtics improved to 54-25 on the season with a 113-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, Stevens sat down with the media at TD Garden. The de facto general manager emphasized that he still refuses to put any limitations on his scrappy squad.

“I feel like the exact same as I did at the beginning,” he stated. “I don’t have [a ceiling for us] and I really feel that way normally.”

But how was he so confident that the Celtics would succeed when there were major question marks surrounding the team prior to the season? Mazzulla did his best to explain that, saying that in the face of a potentially nebulous campaign the Celtics were forced to focus on what they did know.

“Coming into season there’s a lot of unknowns,” Mazzulla admitted. “We had to kind of get to the knowns. Like, what do we know?”

Joe Mazzulla with a great answer on how the Celtics approached a potentially nebulous season by embracing what they knew:

“We had to kind of get to the knowns. We know that JB is going to lead, get better as a player, get better as a leader…When the deck is stacked against… pic.twitter.com/FiQkp78Zrk

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) April 7, 2026

Joe Mazzulla knew who he could count on before the season

As for what the C’s could depend on, or rather who, Mazzulla started with the longest-tenured Celtic: Jaylen Brown.

“We know that JB is going to lead, get better as a player, get better as a leader,” he said. “He thrives in situations like this. When the deck stacks against you and you got a chip on your shoulder. JB thrives in that, we know that.”

The fourth-year head coach was correct in that assessment. Brown has averaged career-highs almost across the board and is sure to receive a few MVP votes when the regular season wraps up. Some thought he’d flame out as the Celtics’ top option, but that was far from the truth.

Mazzulla then addressed the other returning players the Celtics were familiar with, naming guys who were proven (White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser) and unproven (Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh) — yet had untapped potential that the average fan might not have been aware of.

“Derek, Payton, Sam have won games for us,” Mazzulla listed. “We know what Neemi has done for us. Jordan has won games for us. So, just get to the knowns.”

Joe Mazzulla on Jordan Walsh helping the Celtics turn the tide tonight:

“He finds different ways to impact the game for us…He continues to grow and get better and make impactful plays for us. I thought he was big tonight.” pic.twitter.com/jFfsRbx0aV

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) April 8, 2026

Then there was the ultimate variable. Tatum was still recovering from a ruptured Achilles and it was unclear whether or not he’d take the floor this season, or what he’d look like if he did come back. Mazzulla sounded confident though, and he knew the six-time All-Star was itching to play again.

“We knew JT was going to do anything he could to get back,” Mazzulla revealed. “We knew that. And so with all those knowns, it’s like, ‘Okay, here’s where we’re at, how do we go about this?’ And I think it was just kind of getting on the same page with Jaylen, getting on the same page with the guys we’ve returned, getting on the same page on where JT was at in his rehab, and say, ‘Okay, this is how we have to go about it.'”

By trusting the team they built and developed, Stevens and Mazzulla were raising the bar for their players when the rest of the world was trying to lower it. This level of faith in the roster instilled by Boston’s leadership has worked wonders, as the Celtics are now a single win away from securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs.

“As you get into this time of year and get into the playoffs, everything’s hard, and the other teams are really good, and we’ll see where it all stacks out,” Stevens said. “But I’m going to continue to not put a ceiling on us.”

Stevens’ words from Media Day sounded like cautious optimism and Mazzulla’s phone call with White could have just been a coach firing up his player prior to what was expected to be a challenging year.

However, it was arguably them calling their shot.

“It’s a credit to them for sticking to that,” Mazzulla said of his players’ commitment to staying together. “And we got a long way to go, but here’s where we’re at.

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