offseason

Boston Celtics

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has signed forward Lamar Stevens. Per team policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Stevens (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) has appeared in 165 career games (38 starts) with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2020-23 and owns averages of 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. During the 2022-23 season, Stevens played in 62 games (25 starts) and averaged 5.3 points along with a career-high 3.3 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game.

Stevens recorded his second career double-double with a season-high 18 points on 8-for-15 (.533) made field goals and a career-high tying 11 rebounds, along with two assists in 38 minutes on December 14 at Dallas. It marked the third time in his career he scored at least 18 points, and the second time grabbing 10-plus rebounds.

The Philadelphia native played three seasons at Penn State, and led the team to a 2018 NIT Championship title in his sophomore season. He was named NIT Most Outstanding Player after scoring 96 points over five postseason contests (19.2 ppg). He stands fifth on Penn State’s all-time scoring list with 1,660 points and joined select company as one of only six Nittany Lions with 1,500 career points and more than 600 rebounds.

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Boston Celtics Sign Stevens

Taylor Snow

The Boston Celtics filled their third and final two-way roster spot this week by signing 7-foot center Neemias Queta. The 24-year-old Portugal native has made history in numerous ways throughout his basketball career, so let’s get to know him more before he hits the floor for Boston and Maine this coming season.

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Five Facts: Neemias Queta

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has signed center Neemias Queta to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Queta (7-0, 240) has appeared in 20 NBA games over two seasons with the Sacramento Kings (2021-23), and owns career averages of 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game. Last season, Queta saw action in 29 games (all starts) with the Kings G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, and averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while also tying for fourth in the G League with 1.9 blocks per game. The Lisbon, Portugal native ranked second in the G League in field goal percentage (.680) en route to earning 2022-23 NBA G League All-Defensive Team honors and finishing second in Kia MVP voting.

Queta was selected by the Kings with the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft after playing three years at Utah State University. The two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (2019, 2021) appeared in 86 games (84 starts) and averaged 13.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. Queta finished his collegiate career with the most blocks in program history (219), and collected both USBWA District VIII Player of the Year and Bleacher Report National Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.

As a sophomore, Queta was selected to the U20 Portuguese National team for the 2019 European Championships, where he averaged 14.3 points per game over six contests, and ranked third in the tournament with 11.0 rebounds per game.

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Boston Celtics Sign Queta

The 2023-24 Celtics season is nearly upon us, and with a new campaign comes plenty of individual milestones that are on the horizon.

Below we have singled out seven of Boston's vets, while highlighting two major upcoming statistical achievements apiece along with projections of when you can expect them to hit their various milestones.

14,000th point– Sixteen seasons deep and still going strong, Al Horford finds himself atop the scoring leaderboard among current Celtics players and at 13,605 career points. The 37-year-old center is projected this season to join the 14,000-point club, of which only 24 other active players are a member. It’s hard to say exactly when Horford will hit the 14K mark, given the team's frontcourt shakeup along with the probability that he’ll be given occasional rest days, but if he can average somewhere between 8.0 and 9.5 points per game (he averaged 9.8 last season), he should be able to produce 395 points in about 41-50 games.

800th 3-point make – Horford has a few 3-point milestones ahead of him this season, as he continues to rise as a long-distance marksman. He currently sits 46 3-pointers away from his 800th career make and is also just 10 away from 500 in a Celtics uniform. On top of that, he’s 31 triples from passing Avery Bradley into eighth place on the team’s all-time list and 60 away from Larry Bird in seventh. Horford made a career-high 2.3 long-distance shots per game last season at the second-best clip in the league (44.6 percent). If he can make somewhere around 1.5 to 2.0 treys per game, he should be able to hit 800 in around 23-30 games and 500 in a Celtics uniform in about 6-10 games. And he should be passing Larry Legend in about 30-40 games, just before hitting the 14,000-point mark.

2,000th assist – Malcolm Brogdon has an opportunity to have more of a playmaking role this season after the departure of Marcus Smart, meaning we could see his 3.7 assists per game climb closer to his 4.6 career average. The eighth-year combo guard currently has 1,844 assists to his name. If he can average somewhere in the 4.0-4.5 range, he should be able to dish out 156 helpers in about 35-39 games.

1,000th free-throw make – Although he’s one of the most reliable free-throw shooters from a conversion standpoint, Brogdon doesn’t get to the line a tremendous amount. Last season he earned 2.7 free-throw attempts per game, matching his career average exactly. Still, he’s on pace to hit the 1,000 mark in the makes category, as he sits just 53 away. If he can get to the line around three times per game, he should reach 1K in about 18-22 games.

1,000th 3-point make – Jaylen Brown is on track for a major 3-point milestone this season, as he will likely become just the third Celtic to make 1,000 shots from long distance, joining Paul Pierce and Jayson Tatum. Brown currently has 883 career triples, meaning he’s just 117 away. If he can maintain his recent make rate of 2.5 per game (he made an average of 2.4 last season and 2.5 the season before), he should hit the 1K mark in about 45-50 games. Along the way, he’ll pass Marcus Smart (911 3-point makes) and Antoine Walker (925 3-point makes).

500th steal – Brown is also knocking at the door of a defensive milestone, being just 44 steals away from 500. If JB can average 1.1-1.2 steals per game, just as he’s done in each of the past four seasons, he should make it halfway to 1,000 in about 37-40 games.

8,000th point – Fairly early in his first Celtics season, Kristaps Porzingis should be hitting the 8,000-point mark, needing just 124 points to do so. Porzingis’ scoring production likely won’t be as high as it was last season as Washington’s leading scorer (23.2 PPG), but even if he averages 18-20 PPG, he should reach 8K in about seven games. Based on a similar trajectory, he would also reach the 9,000-point mark about 57-63 games into the season.

800th 3-point make – Porzingis has an opportunity to make history this season by becoming the first player in NBA history who is more than seven feet tall to make 800 career 3-pointers (four others at exactly seven feet have accomplished the feat). He needs 63 triples to hit the mark, which would take him about 32-42 games if he can average 1.5-2.0 3-point makes per game (he’s averaged 1.8 per game for his career, including 2.1 last season).

10,000th point – Jayson Tatum has a major career milestone that he should be reaching just a couple of weeks into the season, as he is just 135 points away from 10,000. It shouldn’t take the league’s reigning scoring leader (total points) much time to hit that mark; if he averages 30 PPG like he did last season, he’d reach it by Game 5. By that time, he’d be about 24 years, eight months old, which would make him the 10th-youngest player to join the 10,000-point club in NBA history.

3,000th defensive rebound – Tatum’s rebounding flew somewhat under the radar last season, especially on the defensive end. He grabbed 571 defensive boards, which ranked first among non-bigs and eighth overall. At that rate, he should easily surpass 3,000 career defensive rebounds, as he needs just 328 to do so.  Even if his rate drops a bit due to the added frontcourt presence of Kristaps Porzingis, Tatum should reach the mark roughly 50 games into the season, which would make him just the seventh player in franchise history to reach 3,000. Along the way, he’ll pass Kevin Garnett, who grabbed 2,786 during his Celtics tenure.

500th 3-point make – Derrick White is coming off by far his most prolific shooting season after making 149 3-pointers at a 38.1 percent clip (both career highs). All he needs is 17 more makes to reach the 500 mark, which would also place him at 200 for his Celtics career. We’re estimating that White should hit those milestones about 9-12 games into the season, as he looks to continue his rise as a long-distance threat.

300th block – The best shot-blocking guard in the league is approaching the 300 mark for his career, needing just 21 blocks to get there. That shouldn’t be a problem after the All-Defense guard blocked 76 shots last season; in fact, he could reach 350 by the end of the season if he picks up where he left off. White’s average came out to 0.9 blocks per game last season, so if he averages an even 1.0 BPG, he should reach the 300 mark around his 21st game.

400th block – Rob Williams is on pace to hit a block milestone as well, nearing 400 for his career. He’s a bit further away from the four-century mark than White is from the three-century mark, as he needs 52 to get there. But as the best shot-blocker on the team, it shouldn’t take him long. If Williams averages somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 blocks per game, he should reach 400 after about 26-35 games.

300th assist – While 300 assists isn’t a significant mark for a ball handler, it is for a big man, especially for someone like Williams who wasn’t much of a distributor toward the beginning of his career. It's likely that he’ll hit that milestone in the very first game of the season since he only needs one to get there. During Williams’ earlier days, it may have taken him a few games to get an assist, as he totaled just seven during his rookie year and 27 during his sophomore season. However, he’s improved drastically as a passer over the past three years, all while being utilized more often as a passer, which increased his total assists to 134 in 61 games this past season. Look for Williams to hit the 300 mark right off the bat this season before possibly reaching 400 in the spring.   

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Milestones to Watch for in 2023-24

The Boston Celtics signed another sharpshooter to their roster last week with the addition of five-year veteran Svi Mykhailiuk. The 6-foot-7 wing will look to build off the most efficient season of his career, after shooting 42.4 percent from downtown in 2022-23, and he also has the potential to provide a playmaking boost off the bench.

But before the newest Celtic hits the parquet floor, let’s get to know him off the court more. Here are Mykhailiuk’s Five Facts:

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Five Facts: Svi Mykhailiuk

The Boston Celtics continued to fill out their roster last week with the signing of veteran sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk. The 6-foot-7 Ukranian wing brings five years of NBA experience to Boston and is coming off his most efficient season thus far after shooting 42.4 percent from 3 while representing New York and Charlotte.

As the 26-year-old gets ready for his first season in green, let's take a look back at his Top 5 career performances to date.

Just seven games into his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mykhailiuk produced a monster effort against the Toronto Raptors which included the second-best scoring effort of his career (at the time), a career-high in rebounds, and a career-high-tying mark in the blocks department. Acquired at the trade deadline one week prior, the third-year wing earned his second straight start with the Thunder and did not disappoint. Mykhailiuk shot 9-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, in his highest-scoring effort in 14 months. He scored 10 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, fueling OKC to a 113-103 come-from-behind win. His nine boards contributed to a 64-35 rebounding advantage for OKC, and he added two blocks for good measure. Mykhailiuk nearly mirrored the effort three weeks later with a 20-point, nine-rebound performance at Indiana.  

Mykhailiuk has already had some success in his new home arena, most notably on Jan. 15, 2020, at TD Garden. Detroit's sophomore sharpshooter logged a then-career-high 21 points while making a still-standing career-high five 3-pointers. The Celtics weren’t just leaving him wide-open; Mykhailiuk was hitting shots off-balance, through contact, and in stepback fashion. He even canned a three-quarter-court buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter. On top of that, he handed out five assists and was turnover-free in nearly 30 minutes of action while leading the Pistons to a 116-103 win.  At least the Celtics no longer have to worry about being on the receiving end of one of such performances.

The best playmaking performance and most well-rounded overall effort of Mykhailiuk's career came toward the end of last season, and it also came against his former Thunder team. He stuffed the stat sheet for Charlotte with 18 points, a career-high eight assists, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots in a thrilling, 137-134 win. Mykhailiuk went into distribution mode to help set up P.J. Washington for the best game of his career: a 43-point performance on 16-of-24 shooting from the field. Mykhailiuk was perfect in his facilitating, boasting an 8:0 assist-to-turnover ratio in over 36 minutes of action.

Just three days after producing his first 20-point effort – that game in Boston – Mykhailiuk logged his first-ever 25-point outing, this time in Atlanta. He was nearly perfect in the shooting department, making 4-of-4 from inside the arc, 5-of-7 from outside the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Generating nearly a point per minute off the bench, Mykhailiuk led the Pistons to a 136-103 drubbing of the Hawks. Those 46 total points on a combined 15-of-20 shooting against Boston and Atlanta are the most he's had over a two-game stretch in his career.

At this moment, Mykhailiuk is only four games removed from the highest-scoring effort of his career. On April 2, he poured in a team-high 26 points against the Raptors while shooting 10-of-17 from the field and matching his career high in 3-point makes with a 5-of-9 performance. Mykhailiuk also grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, and snagged two steals in over 33 minutes of action. The only negative was that his team was at the receiving end of a 20-point loss to the Raptors. Mykhailiuk was the only Hornets starter to score more than 15 points and they were outscored by 31 when he wasn’t on the floor. It was one of several strong outings he had toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign, which included a 25-point performance in Charlotte's penultimate game against Houston.

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Svi Mykhailiuk's Top 5 Career Performances

Marc D'Amico

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed forward Svi Mykhailiuk. Per team policy, the terms have not been disclosed.

Mykhailiuk, 6-7/205, split time between the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks last season where he appeared in 32 games (eight starts) and averaged 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 14.6 minutes per game while shooting a career-high 42.4 percent from three.

The Cherkasy, Ukraine native has played in 252 career games (54 starts) and has also suited up for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Toronto Raptors during his five-year career. He owns career averages of 6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from the field. Mykhailiuk was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Kansas product appeared in 136 collegiate games (70 starts) in four seasons with the Jayhawks, averaging 8.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Mykhailiuk set the KU single-season three-point field goals made record with 115 threes and earned All-Big 12 honors his senior year.

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Boston Celtics Sign Svi Mykhailiuk

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens sat down with WEEI’s Adam Jones and Meghan Ottolini Tuesday afternoon as part of the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund radio telethon to raise money for cancer research and care. During his appearance, Stevens spoke on a variety of subjects leading into the 2023-24 NBA season.

Among the noteworthy topics, Stevens touched on the championship-chasing mindset from an executive’s perspective, the opportunities for leadership growth within the locker room this coming season, and Kristaps Porzingis’ health heading into training camp.

The Celtics have been knocking on the championship door for several seasons now, and while there has been some level of frustration in coming up short, each journey has provided insight on how to improve and take a step closer to their ultimate goal.

At the end of the day, knocking on the door of winning a title is a far better position to be in than down the hall and around the corner, which Stevens recognizes as he takes a step back and sees how far the organization has come since he first joined the team as its head coach 10 summers ago.

“I always try to keep in perspective that when you’re playing late it’s not all bad,” Stevens said “You know, the first year I got here we had traded (Paul) Pierce and (Kevin) Garnett. We won 25 games and we lost 57. Fifty-seven losses in one year when you’re a coach or a player is hell. I think I’ve gotten a better perspective after the come-close years. But it’s still, when you’re knocking on that door, is get through it and make sure you’re doing everything you can to put yourself in a position to do that.”

In order to get through the proverbial door, difficult decisions have to be made. Some of those tough choices have included the tradings of the ultimate teammate in Kemba Walker, and most recently, the quintessential Celtic in Marcus Smart.

It’s not an easy business, but each decision Stevens makes is with the next banner in mind. Those decisions have led to the construction of a championship-level team on paper.

Now it’s up to the names on that paper to get the job done.

“The trades and the transactions and all those things are hard because those are emotional moments with people that you know and that you’ve spent a lot of time with and that you’re really fond of,” said Stevens. “But ultimately our job is to chase banners and that’s what we’re trying to do.

"We think this team will be in the mix again. But being in the mix is only part of it. You’ve got to be able to play your best when your best is needed. I think we had a couple of bad weeks last year and the worst one was in May (leading to a 0-3 start to the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami). We just can’t let that happen if we’re gonna be what we want to be.”

In order to get to where they want to be, the Celtics will need certain players to step up in the leadership department to help fill the void left by Smart’s departure. Stevens is counting on his stars – Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum – to be among the team's standout vocal leaders this coming season.

“I think our locker room – we’ve been chock-full of a lot of quality people for a long time, and that (trade of Smart) gives other people a voice,” Stevens said. “It gives other people a voice to step into and step up to. Very obviously, we need Jayson and Jaylen to grow in that area, and we think they’re among the best that can be, so we need them to step up to that. But other people will have an opportunity to do so too. Anytime you’ve had someone that’s played such a big role and has such a big personality (such as Smart), then there are opportunities for others to step into that.”

Another player who will have an opportunity to step into a leadership role is the All-Star caliber player that Boston received in exchange for Smart. Kristaps Porzingis is champing at the bit to finally experience a deep postseason run and is hoping to build off what was the best season of his career in 2022-23.

“Kristaps seems to be in a really good place,” Stevens said. “He’s focused on what matters. He’s coming here to do his part to help us win and that’s what’s was very clear in communicating with him when he came for his (introductory) press conference.”

The 28-year-old big man is currently dealing with one minor obstacle, as he's recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Stevens and the team's medical staff, however, are optimistic that it shouldn’t be much of a setback at all by the time training camp rolls around.

Porzingis is currently rehabbing with the Latvian national team while cheering on his fellow countrymen in the FIBA World Cup. Although he’s disappointed that he can’t participate in the tournament, Stevens says the big man understands the importance of being ready for the start of the season, for which he is on track.

“He really tried to ramp up and play and (was) just determined, ‘I don’t want to deal with lingering effects down the road,’” relayed Stevens, who recalled dealing with a brief bout with plantar fasciitis during his college playing days. “This is something we should be able to navigate and manage within the next few weeks and be ready for Training Camp. So we’re planning on having him Day 1 of Training Camp.

"He really wanted to try to ramp up because it really mattered to be there. Like, I don’t know if you saw the clip of him the other day when Latvia won and he’s kind of behind the bench. They beat France – it was a huge win, probably the biggest win they’ve had in a while – and just the genuine joy and emotion, like those guys that represent their countries, they really enjoy that opportunity so he was heartbroken not to do it. But he saw the opportunity here and took away any chance of having lingering effects by addressing it now, and it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

The Celtics are just one month away from putting their offseason preparations to the test with Training Camp set to begin the first week of October. They’ll look to the Jays to lead the charge, they’ll implement Porzingis’ elite frontcourt presence into their system, and hopefully all of the team’s decisions and sacrifices will lead them past the knocking stage and straight through that championship door.