Celtics’ 3 biggest takeaways from 2024-25 Media Day

BOSTON — Boston Celtics Media Day arrived on Tuesday morning, and it felt like the first day of school.

The excitement for the new season was palpable in the Auerbach Center, which isn't surprising given how the 2023-24 campaign went. The reigning champions sounded eager to defend their title and prove that 18 championships aren't enough.

But before the 2024-25 NBA season officially begins on Tuesday, October 22, let's delve into three of the biggest takeaways from Celtics' Media Day.

The Celtics' culture is strong

The Celtics boast one of the richest histories in the NBA. It's built entirely upon winning and earning championships, resulting in high expectations in Beantown that are often difficult to reach.

However, the C's met the criteria last season, and head coach Joe Mazzulla is committed to maintaining Boston's winning culture.

“We want to win a championship every single year,” Mazzulla stated. “That's the goal, that's the standard, that's the expectation.”

It's easy to say these things in September and not have to back them up several months later. Yet, Mazzulla means it, and the Celtics' championship culture was apparent in everything he expressed to the media.

“When you think about Celtics basketball, we shouldn’t miss a beat,” he said. “That’s been a strength of this team ever since I’ve been here. Regardless of who is in and who is out, we have an opportunity to win.”

During the 2024 offseason, Boston returned its entire starting five and most of its bench depth. With such a talented roster, banner No. 19 is already on the mind of Mazzulla and his men. The young coach explained that Beantown's love for rings and trophies across all sports inspires the Celtics to set a high bar for themselves.

“One of my goals being a head coach is making sure we maintain a consistent mindset and a consistent connection to the city of Boston,” Mazzulla revealed. “The chip on the shoulder, the toughness, the expectation of winning.”

This culture wasn't only promoted by the coach. During Media Day, many players shared Mazzulla's mindset and mentioned that it was a major reason why they opted to come back in the offseason.

For example, sharp-shooter Sam Hauser signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the C's in July. He said agreeing to the new deal was a no-brainer due to the Celtics' strong, successful culture.

“It’s special when an organization is willing to invest in you, develop you, and can trust you enough to keep you around. It was a pretty easy to sign back here,” he admitted. “We have a chance to go deep into the playoffs and win championships for the next however many years.”

Anyone can speak of championships during Media Day when optimism usually peaks. But the Celtics have the history to prove their genuine devotion to winning for the city, fans, and those that came before them. A winning culture already existed in Beantown, yet the newest iteration of the Green Team is keeping it alive.

These Celtics are shaped by continuity rather than change

Although the Celtics' recent stretch of playoff excellence suggests uneventful offseasons, that hasn't been the case.

In the last three summers alone, Boston has made multiple head coaching changes and unexpectedly traded away franchise cornerstones. This summer, there wasn't as much of that.

Mazzulla is coaching again, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are under contract for the foreseeable future, and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is still running the show.

“The biggest gift of this organization has been the alignment and consistency,” Mazzulla complimented.

The only offseason shock came in July when Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck announced his plans to sell the team. Despite the looming ownership shift, Stevens is confident in the Celtics' organizational continuity. In fact, Grousbeck informed Stevens and other higher-ups that “we need to keep doing what we're doing,” regardless of the sale.

“We've got a lot of good leaders in this organization,” Stevens said. “We have unbelievable continuity at every part of the organization and I do think it builds a pride, a responsibility. You feel indebted to make it work for the person next to you. And that's a good thing.”

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It's hard to say who will own the Celtics in the coming years, but for the moment, they're in good hands with Stevens as the de facto general manager. Plus, the continuity he spoke to extends to Boston's roster, which looks just as star-studded as last season.

The Celtics are ready to get back to work

Thanks to a victorious run to the 2024 NBA Finals, the C's didn't enjoy a lengthy offseason. None of them seemed to mind during Media Day, as they all appeared thrilled to start the 2024-25 season.

“I'm ready to go. I'm excited about being back,” Brown remarked with a smile. “I'm ready to get after it.”

Veteran center Al Horford, who's entering his 18th season in the league, felt the same way.

“I'm excited for [training camp],” he said. “We had a good month in September, a lot of our guys were here working.”

While the Celtics are technically in a championship hangover, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday hasn't witnessed any grogginess. The two-time NBA champion believes his teammates are as motivated as ever.

“I’ve seen literally everybody before [Media Day]. That just goes to show we love this game,” he stated. “The hunger that we have and how we play is like how it was last year.”

The players aren't the only ones who can't wait for the beginning of the new season.

“I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the offseason,” Mazzulla disclosed. “I enjoyed the parade … One of the challenges of this offseason is detaching from the past and having an understanding that if you’re attached to a success or a failure for too long that can be really dangerous.”

Moving on will be important for the 2024-25 Celtics because complacency could doom their chances at back-to-back titles. Mazzulla and company look ready for the challenge though, with a bigger obstacle likely being the health of center Kristaps Porzingis.

The Latvian big man suffered a rare injury in the Finals that required surgery in the offseason. He's expecting to take the court in December, per ESPN, but that date could be subject to change.

“[Porzingis] seems to be recovering well, he's very optimistic,” Stevens announced. “I don't know that we're interested in putting a timeline on it because the injury is unique. But as far as how he feels and the progress that he's made, I'd say we're very, very pleased with where he is, and maybe a little surprised.”

When Porzingis makes his season debut remains to be seen, yet he's staying positive and focusing on recovering. He told the press that he's participated in some light contact drills and can run.

“Feeling pretty good,” he said. “I've been doing a good amount of stuff … Looking forward to making progress and getting back out there with the guys as soon as possible.”

With Porzingis or not, the Celtics will open up the 2024-25 campaign against the New York Knicks in less than a month. They'll unveil banner No. 18 just minutes before that highly-anticipated matchup and embark on a journey to put another banner alongside it.