The Boston Celtics weren’t shut out of the NBA’s end-of-season awards thanks to president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
While surprisingly no Celtics players or coach were finalists for an award, Stevens took home some decorated hardware Tuesday.
Steven was named the 2023-24 NBA Executive of the Year after assembling an elite roster that led the Celtics to an NBA-best 64-18 record in the regular season. Stevens joined Danny Ainge and Red Auerbach as the only recipients of the award in franchise history.
“I am so thankful to work for the Celtics,” Stevens said in a statement. “Our ownership group has given us the support and resources to build this team. The players, coaches, front office, and support staff are amazing — superstars in their jobs across the board. This recognition has everything to do with the team, and nothing to do with any one individual. Great teams require that everyone in the building is fully committed to each other and moving in one direction.”
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Being named Executive of the Year had to bring a measure of vindication to Stevens, who moved from being Boston’s head coach after eight seasons to the front office in June 2021.
He’s proven more than capable of being able to do the job despite having no prior experience in the role. Stevens was heralded for his roster construction as he traded away Marcus Smart and Grant Williams in the offseason and brought in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
With Holiday and Porzingis fitting in seamlessly alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics reached new heights. They notched the fourth-most wins in a regular season in franchise history while boasting a vaunted offense that posted a 122.2 offensive rating, which was the best mark ever in the NBA.
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The Celtics are clear NBA title favorites and with Stevens being a big reason for that, it was warranted that he was rewarded for a job well done.
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
