Perkins told the Globe he does not suggest the Celtics break up the Jayson Tatum–Jaylen Brown pairing. He does think changes are necessary, especially in the middle with center Neemias Queta.
“The first move, where they got exposed was the big [man] area,” he said. “I like Queta but I don’t think he’s a starter. They need to go find that All-Star-caliber big. If I’m the Celtics, do I break up JB and JT? No. But if a Giannis [Antetokounmpo] becomes available, I might have to think about it. Or if Anthony Davis is feeling some type of way as a Washington Wizard and you could package something up and bring him to Boston.
“I think if you look around the Eastern Conference in particular, we don’t know where [the 76ers’ Joel] Embiid is going to be because of his health but you have [the Knicks’] Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s playing at a high level, you’ve got Jalen Duren [Detroit], he’s not going anywhere. You have Evan Mobley [Cleveland], you have all these guys that could cause problems that are All-Star-caliber bigs. I know the Celtics [are] going to have to match that energy to some capacity.”
The Celtics also need to get more athletic. It’s debatable whether the best athlete on the team is Brown or Jordan Walsh, but what was evident from the Philadelphia series: The Celtics need players who can win battles with speed and athleticism.
“We’re witnessing [how important athleticism is],” Perkins said. “When you think about all the teams that are legit type of contenders, No. 1 is the New York Knicks, they have to come into the conversation of being legit title contenders. The next three teams are in the Western Conference — Minnesota, the Spurs, and OKC [Thunder]. You [have to] have those 3-and-D guys. Minnesota, they have Jaden McDaniels, with the Knicks, OG Anunoby is a 3-and-D guy. You look at the champs [the Thunder], they got a few of them. So I don’t know where the drop-off of Derrick White [ends], I expect he just had an off season. I think he could bounce back. Do you try to go a different direction than him?”
The Celtics took a step back in talent and salary last summer to escape the first and second salary cap aprons, and while their club worked well in the regular season, earning the East’s No. 2 seed and winning 56 games as one of the league’s biggest surprises, they were exposed in the playoffs.
“When you look at this roster, Jayson Tatum should not be involved in no trade conversation,” Perkins said. “He should retire a Celtic. And JB should be untouchable in my opinion, and you know who else should be untouchable? Payton Pritchard. Outside of that, all the other pieces should hit the market and see what you can get for them. Brad Stevens has done an excellent job since taking over for Danny [Ainge as president of basketball operations] and I also love what he said in his [press conference] that he’s frustrated. And rightfully so, you think about the season they had, great season, one of the biggest surprises, but Brad Stevens understands when you talk about the history of the Celtics, it’s about championships.”
Tatum, who missed the first 62 games recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, played well in his return but said he was about “80 to 85 percent” of his previous self. With five months before the start of next season, he has ample time to not only fully recover from his injury but also add elements to his game.
The Celtics were at their best in 2024 when Tatum was a playmaker for that championship team. That wasn’t as much the case in his post-injury return.
“I would [like to see] coming into next season for Jayson Tatum to be the primary ballhandler,” Perkins said. “I would love for [coach] Joe Mazzulla to challenge him to be that point forward because I can actually see JT playing somewhat of a version of [Detroit’s] Cade Cunningham, but he just hasn’t been allowed to.”
Perkins said he would take the ballhandling responsibilities away from Brown and would put him in the high post and the elbow areas to create more mismatches.
“If you’re the Celtics, you say, ‘OK Joe Mazzulla, shout out to you. We applaud you, you won when a lot of doubters doubted your 3-point system, but now it’s to a point where we need you to adjust,’ ” Perkins said. “We need you to max out Jayson Tatum. Your goal coming into next season needs to be, how can I put Jayson Tatum in position to win MVP. JT could do exactly what Luka [Doncic, for the Lakers] and Cade Cunningham are doing. He’s a guy who could average 28-8-8 [points, rebounds, and assists]. I think he has that capability.”
Finally, Perkins said the Celtics no longer set the standard for the league’s style of play because they are no longer the champions. Similar to the previous decade when teams tried adopting the Warriors’ 3-point barrage style, the offensive and defensive emphasis have shifted to the Thunder’s punishing style that features midrange shooting, free throws, and timely 3-point shooting.
“That’s why you see with the Spurs, they went and got a bunch of big, two-way guards and wings,” Perkins said. “Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, those are big wings and guards.”
Perkins said the Celtics are going to have to score easier points to succeed, and that starts with Brown.
“I heard [Brown] talking about not getting certain calls and I thought this year he had a career high in free throw attempts,” Perkins said. “But if you start the season playing a certain way, the officiating is going to favor you later down the line. I played with one of the best at getting to the free throw line in Paul Pierce. When his shot wasn’t falling, we knew one thing, he was going to end the game with 10 to 15 free throws.
“The Celtics are going to have to get uncomfortable. They’re going to have to make moves.”
THREE BIG POINTS
Stevens goes deep with thoughts
Stevens was as candid about his team’s weaknesses and shortcoming as he has been in his five-year tenure. There are many improvements the Celtics require before becoming a championship contender after the stunning first-round elimination by the 76ers.
Mazzulla has taken his share of criticism for his lack of adjustments through the first six games and then his too-little-too-late desperation move with the lineup in Game 7. Stevens is going to stick with Mazzulla as coach but there could be changes to the staff and the offensive philosophy.
“I think first of all, I know how hard that job is, and I know all that goes into it, and I know he and his staff are putting everything they can into it,” Stevens said of Mazzulla. “When I say that we struggle to get by, I think again, we need to add to our team. So I think our coaching staff, like all of us, can continue to improve and get better. That said, I think they’re very good, and you need to continue to provide them the resources to grow and to get better and to continue to be the best that we can be.
“I don’t think we can ignore and certainly can’t ignore anything good and bad. But there were, there was a lot of growth this year and I thought that there was a lot of things that we can build off of, even though the ending was disappointing.”
It’s critical for the Celtics to upgrade the coaching staff, perhaps adding another veteran coach as a fresh voice. Mazzulla has a solid staff but in all honesty, how many of those young assistants have the power to keep him accountable or give him fresh ideas that will enhance the team? Like the roster, the coaching staff needs to be upgraded.
Another interesting development: Stevens didn’t necessarily stamp the Celtics’ reliance on the 3-pointer. But their roster was built to shoot threes. Unfortunately, the shooters on the team faltered in the Philadelphia series (combined 32 for 110 from White and Pritchard).
What’s more, of the top 12 teams in 3-point attempts this season, only five reached the playoffs and just two, the Knicks and Cavaliers, are still playing. The three teams that shot more 3-pointers than the Celtics during the regular season were the Warriors, Hornets, and Trail Blazers. Only Portland reached the playoffs.
Mazzulla said the style attempted to accentuate the strengths of the roster, and the Celtics lacked any interior scoring threat, especially from the frontcourt, so they attempted to capitalize on jump shooting. But that was ineffective in the playoffs.
“I just want to win, and I don’t think play style comes before roster,” Stevens said. “You got to figure out who you have and then play to the strengths of your team, but that’s on both ends of the court. I thought our coaching staff did an amazing job this year. The [Philadelphia] series, I think we all could have done better, there’s no question about it, and I think we’re all looking forward to improving off of that.
“But I think it starts with we have to put the best roster we possibly can together, and then we need to maximize the strengths of that group. This year, some strengths appeared that were, I thought, a direct result of really good development and really good coaching and we need to, again, look at whoever we have next in July, and figure out how to build our best team. And play style should be dependent on who’s on your team.”
It appears the NBA’s fascination with the 3-pointer is beginning to subside and the Celtics are going to have to adjust. The Knicks, Spurs, and Thunder were in the middle of the league in attempts (San Antonio and Oklahoma City tied with the Heat at 13th). But they also have better athleticism and more interior scoring than the Celtics.
“The bad ones? Yeah, yeah, sure, yes,” Stevens said when asked if the Celtics attempt too many 3-pointers. “I look at every shot. It’s evaluating each and every shot. But yeah, if we come down and shoot a really tough contested three, when a guy’s wide open at the rim, or if we have an action that we can get to, yeah, and I think anyone would say that. I think Joe would be the first to say that. And I also think that we have to do our best to generate the best possible look we can. I think we all would love dunks. I would love dunks.”
In 2023, Mazzulla did say 3-point percentage was the league’s most important stat. But Stevens appears open to change and ensuring the Celtics get easier points, including free throws. The Celtics ranked 30th — last — in the NBA in free throw attempts.
“I think that the 3-pointer after dunks and free throws or layups and free throws, if it’s not a contested layup by a giant and you’re a little guy, an open kickout three is a good shot,” Stevens said. “And those are the ones we would like to get, absolutely. There are times where even a pull-up contested three is a good shot, if it’s a two-for-one, or if it’s a situation where you got a guy backtracking on his heels and your person has the right amount of talent, but each shot should be evaluated for what were your other options on that possession?”
So regardless of what direction Stevens goes with the roster, he’s going to make sure its equipped to be more productive than in the recent past, and the Celtics have declined offensively in recent years.
The Hornets rewarded former Celtics assistant Charles Lee with a contract extension after leading the club to a play-in appearance with a youthful roster. Charlotte won 25 more games than the previous season and Lee has expectations on the rise for a franchise that has not reached the playoffs since 2015-16. The Hornets also announced that former lottery pick Brandon Miller underwent surgery to stabilize his right shoulder. Miller played most of the season with a heavy wrap on the shoulder and has dealt with various injuries in his first three seasons … Just a day after the Magic were eliminated from the playoffs after blowing a 3-1 lead against the Pistons, coach Jamahl Mosley was fired as the club looks to capitalize on the window of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. In Mosley’s defense, the duo could never consistently get on the court together because of injury and Wagner missed the final three games of the Detroit series with a calf strain. But there was definitely tension between Banchero and Mosley, and Banchero accused the franchise of not taking the regular season seriously enough in recent years — the final blow for Mosley’s leadership. Banchero, once considered a first-team All-NBA candidate, has leveled off. His scoring average dipped 3.7 points from last season and his 3-point percentage was just 30.5 percent. If Orlando is going to take a step forward, the new coach will have to devise a way for Banchero and Wagner to co-exist and produce. Banchero also has to develop a dependable midrange jumper. The top candidate for the job could be former University of Florida coach Billy Donovan, who stepped away from the Bulls after a front office shakeup. Donovan was briefly the Magic coach 15 years ago before having second thoughts and returning to Florida, then eventually going the NBA route by taking over the Thunder … There may be steps toward John Wall having his No. 2 retired in Washington. The former speedy point guard has returned to his former NBA city to become general manager of the Howard University men’s basketball team and the Wizards announced he will represent them at Sunday’s critical NBA Draft lottery. Washington is one of the teams with the best odds to land the No. 1 pick, which is expected to be Brockton native AJ Dybantsa, who has risen to the top of most draft boards.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
