Based on a vote by NBA team executives, Zach Kleiman was named CEO of the Season. The Celtics’ chief of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, came in sixth, with one first-place vote and second-most number of votes coming in for second and third, giving him a total of 20 points.
Stevens’ most notable move began with the appointment of Ime Udoka, who finished fourth as Coach of the Year. Udoka has also received Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, making history within a franchise streak that had three people who previously held the position in the list of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history, primarily for their work with the Celtics. Incidentally, that list does not include Hall of Fame coach Tommy Heinson.
Stevens also signed Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams (four years, $48 million) on extensions that don’t break the bank. The latter is a particularly special team.
Stevens’ decision not to re-sign Yvan Fournier also proved wise, despite Fournier setting the Celtics on fire on multiple occasions. He also brought the Horfords back in a deal that sent Kimba Walker to Thunder before Walker returned to his New York home.
Danny Ainge’s successor has also repeatedly reinforced the lack of interest in breaking up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And on the trading deadline, a roster reshape by Stevens helped Boston climb up, going from players like Ennis Freedom and Dennis Schroeder to finding top players like Derek White and Daniel Theis.
Go to follow
in-depth reading
Top 5 plays of the 5 game between Celtics and Dollars
What came out of Game 5: Bucks Rally, Celtics smash-loss loss, put Boston on the brink of disqualification
Despite the late ignition, Marcus Smart says: “The quad is good; I won’t miss more games because of that”
What stood in game 4: Celtics character displayed as they swarm to bind the chain
[Film Room] What led to Jason Tatum’s struggles in Game 3 and how the Celtics pushed him to move forward in Game 4
A solo look with Cameron on his improbable journey to design Jordan Jason Tatum