danny ainge

Taylor Snow

The Boston Celtics made two monumental moves within their front office Wednesday following the conclusion of their season. Danny Ainge, to much public surprise, retired from his post as president of basketball of operations, and was replaced by Brad Stevens, who  was officially elevated from his head coaching position in order to step up into Ainge's vacant role.

Of those two moves, Stevens only wished to highlight an outgoing Celtics legend as opposed to concentrating on his new position.

“Today, I’m not the story,” he emphasized while alongside Ainge, managing partner, governor and chief executive officer Wyc Grousbeck, and managing partner and alternate governor Steve Pagliuca during a formal press conference at the Auerbach Center.

There will be plenty of time to dive into to the new era of Celtics basketball under President Stevens, but today is about the legacy of the man who prepared Stevens for this job. Today is about giving thanks the man who has bled green dating back to 1981 as a player, and who has put his heart and soul into shaping a contending team since the beginning of his career as an executive in 2003.

When Ainge first stepped into his front-office role on May 9, 2003, he made it clear how much he was invested in the organization based on one statement: "The reason I'm here is because it's the Boston Celtics,” he said. “There are better rosters, better cap room, better circumstances around the league. But it's not the Boston Celtics."

Ainge believed in the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Celtics believed in him.

“This guy will get it done,” Grousbeck said that day, declaring how Ainge would someday lead the franchise to his 17th championship.

Ainge began building toward those championship aspirations immediately, starting with the hiring of head coach Doc Rivers in 2004. The team was in rebuild mode during those early years, but Ainge put his foot on the accelerator in the summer of 2007 by pulling off two blockbuster trades, landing future Hall-of-Famers Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to play alongside longtime franchise cornerstone Paul Pierce.

That season, the Celtics pulled off the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history, going from a 24-win lottery team to a 66-win contender that would wind up bringing home Banner 17 just five years after Grousbeck made his promising claim.

That Celtics team remained a contender until the waning years of Pierce and Garnett’s careers before Ainge made the toughest move of his 18-year tenure: trading those two generational talents.

During the summer of 2013, he dealt Pierce, Garnett, Jason Terry, D.J. White, and two future draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, and four coveted future first-round picks. He then fully committed to pressing the restart button by hiring Stevens to be the new head coach, beginning the second era of Celtics basketball under his watch.

Eventually, two of those draft picks turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who have already established themselves as two of the brightest young stars in the league, while also helping to lead the Celtics to multiple Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

With such a young, bright core under his watch, Ainge could once again dream of building a bright future of basketball in Boston. However, over the past couple of years, he began thinking about more important future aspirations outside of the game.

After experiencing his second heart attack during the 2019 playoffs, Ainge knew that it would soon be time to step away from the stressful general manager lifestyle so that he could devote his days toward enjoying his life and spending time with his family.

Ultimately, he made his decision to step down during Boston's season that came to an end Tuesday night.

“I trust my instincts and my instincts told me a couple months ago that it was time for me to move on,” said Ainge, who helped lead the C's to 15 playoff berths and six Eastern Conference Finals appearances over his 18 years as GM. “That's what's best for us, that's what's best for the Celtics."

Before officially moving on, Ainge took the time to reflect back on the past 18 years he spent with the team, although he didn’t have much basketball to talk about. After living and breathing the game for so many decades, he just wanted to take a step back and appreciate all of the relationships that he made along the way, thanking the people who made his experience worthwhile.

“It’s rare in this business where there’s so much public scrutiny about every decision you make where you come in and you leave 18 years later and you’re closer and better friends than when you came in, and you have great respect and lifelong (relationships) that will never end,” Ainge said. “That’s what I’m most proud of, is those relationships. And I’m looking forward to the next chapter – looking forward to the next chapter for the Celtics and for us.”

As for the next chapter for the Celtics, Ainge has already left his mark by penning the introduction.  Thanks to him, the franchise has a promising future in store under their two star players, their new president of basketball operations in Stevens, and whoever Stevens chooses to be his successor as head coach.

For Stevens, it will be a challenging step up into a new role, but it’s one that he feels prepared to take on thanks to Ainge.

“It's so important to be surrounded by people that have a great understanding of the challenges, that truly love the joys that come with it, but also find great joy in overcoming the toughest of days,” Stevens said. “And Danny has provided that support as my boss, of constant empowerment for the last eight years.

“Today, I'm not the story, and so I'll let this be what it should be, and that is a great, great celebration of a person who I've learned a lot from, and who I've really enjoyed working for. I know that if any of our assistants were sitting here, if anybody on Danny's staff, if anybody around the Celtics were sitting here, they would all say the same thing.”

They would say how honored they were to have worked with Ainge – to learn from him as a colleague, but more importantly as a friend who provided endless support to the franchise and those around him throughout his 18 years leading the team’s basketball operations.

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Ainge’s Legacy in Celtics Front Office Goes Beyond Basketball

A day that was meant for celebration and cheer turned into a day of mourning for the Boston Celtics, who lost a legend in K.C. Jones at the age of 88 Friday prior to Boston’s Christmas matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

One of the most successful players and coaches in the history of the franchise, Jones won a remarkable 11 championships with the Celtics – eight as a player in the 1950s and 1960s, and three as a coach in the 1980s. However, he was even more successful as a role model and a friend to those who had the privilege of playing with him and for him.

While reflecting upon their legendary 1986 championship run five years ago, Larry Bird wholeheartedly called Jones “the nicest human being I ever met in my life. He was a gracious man, not just to his players, but to all.”

Current Celtics head coach Brad Stevens never had the pleasure of meeting Jones, but he fully comprehended the influence that the Hall-of-Famer had upon the storied franchise. Stevens felt that impact enough that he had to pull over to the side of the road while en route to TD Garden Friday afternoon to gather his thoughts and emotions after hearing the news of Jones’ passing.

“I hadn’t spent time with him, but I had to stop for a minute,” Stevens recollected prior to his team’s 123-95 loss to the Nets. “I just think the way he was revered by the players he played with, the people he worked with, other players who played for him – he was special.”

Jones is the second Celtics Legend who has died in the past month and a half. His former teammate and fellow Hall-of-Famer Tommy Heinsohn passed away Nov. 9.

Just two days prior to Jones’ death, the team held a pre-game memorial for Heinsohn, who, like Jones, won a plethora of championships with the Celtics both as a player and as a head coach.

“We’ve had this too much lately with some of our greatest winners and greatest people that have been part of this organization,” Stevens said. “On a day that people always value their time with family and friends, obviously hampered by the year we’ve all had, it’s a real tough blow. Our condolences are with his family.”

Condolences poured in all afternoon and evening via Twitter from Jones’ old colleagues. Among those who expressed such sympathy were Jones’ former college roommate/teammate and Celtics teammate Bill Russell, and former pupil Cedric Maxwell, who earned a ring under Jones’ tutelage in 1984.

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge also expressed his thoughts on Jones with great emotion from inside the arena just prior to tip-off against Brooklyn.

“K.C. was a great coach to play for,” said Ainge, who played under Jones throughout his entire five-year tenure as head coach. “He was a class act, and everybody knew that. And yet he had a competitive edge that was fierce. And so you wanted to do all you could to please K.C. as a coach, but he had this gentleness and a kindness that at the right time he knew what to say. But he was a great leader of men.”

Jones also built a great camaraderie among his players, enabling himself to fit right in with their playful personalities. For example, Ainge shared one brief story about a time when Bird pulled a prank on Jones prior to a road game against the New Jersey Nets. And Jones, rather than being scornful, just rolled with the punches in a loving manner.

“[Jones] was standing by the wall with (assistant coach) Jimmy Rogers drawing on the player's scouting report up on the chalkboard,” Ainge recalled. “Larry was down underneath the table tying K.C.'s shoestrings together. And after the chalkboard was done, K.C. stumbled out into the middle of the floor and he just received it so well.  I mean he just took it on and how it was intended and didn't get mad or angry and the whole team laughed and we went out and played the game.

“He was just a real guy. He knew what to say. He’d been through it all as a player and as a coach, playing on a team at high expectations. And so that's what we were in his four years of coaching  – we were in the finals every year. He did a fantastic job of coaching. But more than that, he was a friend and a mentor, and he cared deeply about us as people."

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k-c-jones-remembered-by-celtics-colleagues-as-a-mentor-and-friend

K.C. Jones Remembered by Celtics Colleagues as a ’Mentor and Friend’

BOSTON – Kemba Walker could not have been more thrilled Monday afternoon when the news of Jeff Teague’s signing with the Boston Celtics became official. At the time, Walker had still been grieving over the departure of one of his favorite all-time teammates in Brad Wanamaker, who signed with Golden State six days prior, but bringing on board a replacement of Teague’s caliber helped to soften the emotional wound.

“After losing Brad, to bring in Jeff is huge,” Walker stated Wednesday afternoon during a Zoom teleconference with the media. “He’s a guy who’s been around. He knows what it takes to win games in this league.”

Walker has seen first-hand how much Teague impacts winning. When Walker began his NBA career in 2011-12 with the Charlotte Bobcats, Teague was already an established veteran playing for the Southeast Division rival Atlanta Hawks. The pair faced off 27 times over the last nine seasons, with Teague owning an impressive 20-7 head-to-head record.

“Me and him, personally, have had a lot of battles over the years, especially when I first started to thrive in the league, he was really at his best,” Walker said. “I’m excited to be his teammate, to still learn from him as well, because he is a little bit older than me and he’s been around longer than me.”

Walker would have been Boston’s most seasoned player heading into the 2020-21 campaign with 661 career games under his belt, but Teague now takes that crown, having played two more seasons and 110 more games than Walker. Teague also brings a wealth of playoff experience to Boston, having accumulated 71 postseason games, including 60 starts, on his resume.

Such experience will be particularly important at the beginning of the season, as Teague will likely take on a heavy role while Walker continues to rehab after receiving a stem cell injection in his left knee earlier this fall. It’s already evident that Teague’s new teammates will be counting on him to help hold things down while their All-Star floor general works his way back to 100 percent health.

“It’s great,” Semi Ojeleye said of Teague’s addition, “especially when Kemba is out of the lineup, having someone on the court that’s seen a lot of different scenarios and been in big games, it’s going to be important for us to get us organized and to keep us as a unit. I think we have a lot of talent out there, a lot of guys who can do a lot of things, but having a veteran guard like Jeff is going to be great for us.”

Even at 32 years old, the former All-Star still seems to have a good amount of fuel left in the tank. Last season, while playing a sixth-man role between stints in Minnesota and Atlanta, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 assists per 36 minutes. The season before that, he dished out a career-best 8.2 assists per game for the Timberwolves.

“Jeff is just a proven guy,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Tuesday morning. “He has had some really good games in the past, and he's been on some very good teams, so he'll be a good leader in the locker room as well. I think that Jeff's at a state in his career where he wants to share what he's learned in this 12-year career. He still has some juice – had a couple of 30-point games last year. And we still think that he can step in, especially early on, to bridge the gap until Kemba comes back ready to go.”

And once Kemba is back and ready to go, he can’t wait to share the floor with his former Southeast Division rival.

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Walker Thrilled to Finally Share a Backcourt with Jeff Teague

Marc D'Amico

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BOSTON – Tuesday marked a strange beginning to the 2020-21 NBA season, as players and coaches were made available to the media for season-opening comments despite the fact that only four players are allowed in a given practice facility at one time, and are only allowed to participate in individual workouts.

The Boston Celtics marked the start of their season by making president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, head coach Brad Stevens, All-NBA wing Jayson Tatum, and center Daniel Theis available for season-opening conversations with the media.

The discussions covered a broad range of topics, including Tatum’s freshly-signed contract extension, Kemba Walker’s health, and the free-agent signings of Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson.

Tatum’s extension was the hottest of all topics. Tuesday marked the first time he, Ainge and Stevens spoke publicly since the fourth-year pro signed his deal back on Nov. 25.

“I wanted to be here,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. I’m extremely grateful and thankful for that. I don’t take that for granted or take that lightly. It’s a big deal. I’m excited I get to be here five more years.”

The Celtics are even more excited to see what type of player Tatum could develop into over those five years.

Tatum last season was selected to the All-NBA Third Team during this third professional season. He was one of 12 players in the league to garner an MVP vote. Yet, he and the team both believe that he has plenty of potential that has yet to be fulfilled.

“My game is really young, so I think every part of my game can get better,” Tatum said. “From an efficiency standpoint, continue to get stronger, extending my range, being able to increasingly shoot off the dribble, off the catch and finish through better through contact and become even more of a defensive presence. I think that’s a big goal for me.”

The same can be said of fellow wing and budding star Jaylen Brown, who will play the first year of his rookie extension this season. It must be noted that every time Ainge or Stevens spoke about Tatum, they also mentioned Brown in the same light.

“There’s a lot of unfulfilled potential,” Ainge said of the young duo. “So keeping their heads right, keeping them humble, hard-working, and continuing with the desire to improve, which I, at this moment in time, have zero doubt in those two guys.”

Stevens added. “Now the challenge is to continue to grow, continue to get better, to – as we’ve said before – not only become some of the better players in the league, but also some of the better leaders in the league. I think they’re both exceptionally capable of that and have already shown that both on and off the court.”

Another key leader of the Celtics is Walker, who in early October received a stem cell injection in his left knee, it was announced Tuesday morning. Walker was put on a 12-week strengthening program to prepare for the season and will likely see a similar ramp-up to game action as he did for last season’s restart inside the NBA bubble.

“I think if we were starting games in January, he’d probably be starting right along with us and I don’t know if we’d even be talking about it,” said Stevens. “So I do think that it’s very similar to what I said when we got to the bubble: This is about making sure that he feels great, strengthening appropriately moving at the right pace, and hopefully playing his best basketball late.”

Ainge added that the fact that multiple specialists from across the country came to the same conclusion about the knee gave Walker “a great peace of mind” moving forward.

While the Celtics may not have Walker at full strength – or available at all – at the start of the regular season, they can rest comfortably knowing that they have a reserve point guard who is more than capable of filling Walker’s All-Star shoes.

Boston on Monday signed Teague to a free-agent contract, giving the team its most established backup guard since the 2008-2009 seasons, when Sam Cassell helped the C’s win a title and when Stephon Marbury signed on for a potential title run the following season. Teague, like Cassell and Marbury, is a former All-Star, but this guard still has plenty of “juice left,” as Ainge stated Tuesday.

“(He) had a couple of 30-point games last year,” Ainge added of Teague. “And we still feel that he can step in, especially early on, to bridge the gap until Kemba comes back ready to go, but also play a significant role off the bench or in a starting role.”

Stevens, who has been a fan of Teague since the speedy point guard was coming up the high school ranks in the Indianapolis area in the mid-2000s, believes the former All-Star’s skills will fit in well with Boston’s preferred style of play.

Said Stevens, “I think Jeff puts pressure on the defense in transition, he can get to where he wants to go on offense, and he can pressure the ball on defense.”

The coach has a similar view of how Thompson will fit in with the Celtics. Thompson, too, joined the Celtics Monday as a free agent and provides the team with something they lacked last season: a versatile big who is known for his physicality at both ends of the court.

“The combination of lateral mobility, strength and motor gives him a chance to guard a lot of people,” Stevens said of Thompson. “So we thought that it was obviously important to add to our team.”

Thompson and Teague are important veteran additions to a talented core that features the likes of Tatum, Brown, Walker and Marcus Smart. That crew, along with the rest of the incumbent roster and incoming rookies, will have the next three weeks to bond together as a team before their first regular-season game arrives.

Tuesday marked the strange beginning to what’s sure to be a very strange NBA season. Regardless, the Celtics and the NBA are officially back, and this new Boston team is gearing up for another run at a title.

cs-tip-off-season-with-ainge-stevens-and-tatum-discussing-new-look-team

C's Tip Off Season with Ainge, Stevens and Tatum Discussing New-Look Team

Kyle George

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BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics have signed guard Jeff Teague and forward Tristan Thompson, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Teague (6-3, 195) joins Boston’s backcourt after a 2019-20 season in which he averaged 10.9 points (43.6% FG, 36.8% 3-PT, 87.3% FT), 2.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 24.8 minutes played in 59 games (17 starts) with Minnesota and Atlanta. The 32-year-old tallied five 20-point games last season, including a pair of 30-point performances with the Timberwolves.

Set to begin his 12th NBA season in 2020-21, Teague holds career averages of 12.6 points (44.5% FG, 35.6% 3-PT, 84.4% FT), 2.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 27.5 minutes played in 771 career games (593 starts) with Atlanta, Indiana, and Minnesota. The 2014-15 All-Star is one of only seven NBA players to average at least 10.0 points and 5.0 assists in each of the last eight seasons (minimum 40 games played).

A nine-year NBA veteran, Thompson (6-9, 254) joins Boston’s front court after producing a career-best 12.0 points (51.2% FG), 10.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocked shots, and 30.2 minutes in 57 games played (51 starts) with the Cavaliers in 2019-20.

Thompson was one of six forwards to average a double-double on at least 50.0% shooting in 2019-20, and the only one of that group to also contribute at least 4.0 offensive boards per contest. The 29-year-old has amassed a double-double average in each of the past two years, recording 11.5 points and 10.2 rebounds over his last 100 contests.

Originally drafted by Cleveland with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Thompson produced 9.4 points on 51.8% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.7 blocked shots, and 28.1 minutes played in 619 games (429 starts) across nine seasons with the Cavaliers. He tallied 10.3 points (63.6% FG), 10.1 rebounds, and three double-doubles during the 2016 NBA Finals – a seven-game series against Golden State – to help the Cavaliers capture their first NBA Championship in franchise history.

Teague will wear number 55 with the Celtics, and Thompson will wear number 13.

A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

celtics-sign-jeff-teague-tristan-thompson

Celtics Sign Jeff Teague, Tristan Thompson

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics have signed All-Star forward Jayson Tatum to a contract extension, the team announced
    today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Jayson has emerged as one of the best two-way players in the NBA through his first three seasons, and will continue
    to get better and better as a player and a leader,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “He
    possesses unique scoring and playmaking abilities, and has displayed exceptional poise and maturity in how he
    approaches the game. He’s someone who, at 22 years of age, will be a central figure to this organization’s
    championship aspirations for many years to come.”

“I am incredibly grateful to the Celtics organization, and the city of Boston for this opportunity,” said Tatum. “I
    love this city, this organization, and the best fans in the NBA. I plan on being here for a very long time.”

A first-time NBA All-Star in 2019-20, Tatum, 22, produced a team-high 23.4 points on 45.0% shooting (40.3% 3-PT) in
    just his third NBA season. The St. Louis, MO native added 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 66 games (all
    starts) to become the first Celtics player to register 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in a single season since Paul
    Pierce in 2003.

Tatum’s All-Star season resulted in his selection to the 2019-20 All-NBA Third Team, making him the second Celtics
    player in franchise history to receive All-NBA honors prior to his 23rd birthday.

Originally drafted by the Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Tatum has averaged 17.3 points
    (45.7% FG, 40.1% 3-PT, 82.9% FT), 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocked shots, and 31.8 minutes played
    in 225 career games (all starts) over three NBA seasons. The 22-year-old has improved his marks in scoring,
    rebounds, assists, and steals in each season since joining the professional ranks, and is the only player in NBA
    history to accumulate 3,900 points, 1,300 rebounds, and 400 3-point field goals through his first three seasons.

A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association)
    since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966,
    winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and
    respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In
    addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball
    Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more
    information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

celtics-sign-jayson-tatum-to-contract-extension

Celtics Sign Jayson Tatum to Contract Extension

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics have extended qualifying offers to center Tacko Fall and guard Tremont Waters, the team announced today.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Central Florida, Fall averaged 3.3 points (78.6% FG) and 2.1 rebounds in seven games with the Celtics last season. The 24-year old also averaged a double-double (12.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) in 29 games played with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League, and was named to the 2019-20 NBA G League All-Defensive team.

Waters, 22, played in seven games with the Celtics as a rookie in 2019-20, recording 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 10.8 minutes. The Louisiana State University product thrived in his 36 games played with the Red Claws this past season, producing 18.0 points (42.9% FG, 35.4% 3-PT), 3.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists en route to being named the NBA G League Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-NBA G League selection.

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Celtics Extend Qualifying Offers to Fall, Waters

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BOSTON –  One week prior to being selected by the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft, Aaron Nesmith already had green running through his mind.

Last Wednesday, during a pre-Draft Zoom call with the media members from across the country, the 6-foot-6 Vanderbilt product was asked out of the blue whether he saw a potential fit with the Celtics, to which he lit up and replied: “That team has a very bright future and I think I could step right in and make life easier for guys like Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, et cetera. Just giving those guys more space and more room to operate I think is going to really help elevate their game and help make life easier.”

Little did Nesmith know at that moment that his dream would soon become reality.

On Wednesday night, the Nesmith family gathered around a television to take part in the virtual Draft, for which Aaron dressed fittingly in a green plaid suit. At 9:30 p.m., commissioner Adam Silver emerged onto the screen and made the announcement that would change the 21-year-old wing's life: “With the 14th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select Aaron Nesmith from Vanderbilt University.”

For a moment, Nesmith simply stared at the TV in shock, before erupting into tears of joy and collapsing into his father's chest.

“It’s a dream come true,” he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews shortly after the announcement. “Every kid dreams of this moment since they’re like eight years old.”

Nesmith was one of three players selected by the Celtics Wednesday night, along with 26th overall pick Payton Pritchard out of Oregon, and 47th overall pick Yam Madar out of Israel. The two first-rounders, in particular, should help Boston address one of its biggest offseason needs: shooting.

Nesmith, who described himself to his new Celtics fan base as “an absolute sniper,” shot an absurd 52.2 percent from 3-point range on 8.2 attempts through 14 games before his 2020 season was cut short due to a foot injury. Vanderbilt head coach and former NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse referred to him as “one of the best shooters I’ve seen” at the collegiate level.

C’s president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes such shooting ability should translate straight to the NBA level, claiming that Naismith “could come in the gym and out-shoot most of our guys right this second.”

Because of that elite shot-making ability, Nesmith reiterated that he should be able to “make life easier for the creators of the offense – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker.”

On top of that, he claims to be “a guy that is always going to be there to work hard, to earn his stripes and to do it on both sides of the floor.”

Such hard work is also what the Celtics hope to get out of Pritchard, a scrappy four-year point guard out of Oregon. The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game for the Ducks this past season, while earning both the Lute Olson Award as the nation’s most outstanding non-freshman, and the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.

Pritchard, who also shot the ball well from deep at a clip of 41.5 percent, is hoping to come in and impact the team immediately with his toughness and competitive spirit.

“I can really shoot it, dribble, pass, but I think the biggest thing that I bring to the Celtics is just a competitive nature,” said the 6-foot-2 floor general. “I’m a winning-mentality type of guy that fights for everything, works for everything.”

Being a former NBA scrapper himself, Ainge developed a great fondness for Pritchard throughout the point guard's four-year tenure in Eugene, Oregon.

“He’s a guy I think can play in any system. He can play with any players,” said Ainge, who also happens to be a native of Eugene. “I love how he pushes the pace. He’ll make guys run. He’s playing with the ball in his hands. He gets the ball up the court very quickly and I think that’ll be a help to get the rest of the players up the court very quickly. He has that kind of leadership ability with the ball in his hands. He’s a fun player and I’m very excited to get him.”

While Ainge hopes to see his two first-rounders make an immediate impact, he views his second-round selection, Madar, as more of a work in progress.

“He’s a player we watched over in Israel play quite a bit, and we’ll see how it works out,” Ainge said of the 19-year-old point guard. “The plan will probably be to keep him overseas for at least another year and we’ll evaluate him from there, but we’re anxious to watch his growth and development as a player.”

The Celtics also had been scheduled to make a third first-round pick at No. 30, but Ainge opted to trade it to Memphis in exchange for future picks. His reasoning behind the move was that “we didn’t want to bring more than two rookies in this year.”

As for those two rookies, both Nesmith and Pritchard appear ready and able to contribute, with the hope of boosting the C’s this coming season with their shared combination of elite shooting and competitive spirit.