Tag: Lamar Stevens

Will the Boston Celtics regret moving on from Lamar Stevens?

There’s no way to know whether the Griz would have swapped out Stevens for another player, but it’s an intriguing thought.

From the moment they signed him until the Boston Celtics elected to trade him away, there has been a notable camp behind former Boston forward Lamar Stevens who believed he’d have some valuable contributions for the Celtics if he could just get the run to show it.

But now Stevens is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, dealt there to bring big man Xavier Tillman to Boston. Will the Celtics regret moving on from him? Pointing to Stevens’ role as an energy guy off the bench, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley makes the case that Boston could regret the move.

“The Celtics needed frontcourt depth, so if dealing Stevens was the only way to make that happen, it was probably the right move,” writes the B/R analyst.

“Still, you don’t want to take the energy out of a locker room that’s gearing up for the always challenging stretch run, so Boston perhaps should’ve tried to do this deal with someone else,” he suggests.

There is no way to know whether the Griz would have been down to swap out Svi Mykhailiuk or another player on a minimum deal, but with the team now looking to shore up its forward depth, Buckley’s case has legs — if small ones.

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Former Celtics Grant Williams, Dalano Banton, Lamar Stevens doing well with new teams

It’s good to see that Williams, Stevens, and Banton are all doing well with the ball clubs Boston dealt them to — or in Williams case, the one where he has since landed.

It would have been really nice to see former Boston Celtics forwards Grant Williams, Lamar Stevens, and Dalano Banton having success with the Celtics. But for reasons too complex to get into here, that just was not in the cards for this trio.

Still, Boston fans tend to believe that once you are a Celtic, you are always a Celtic (save maybe for Kyrie Irving). So with that in mind, it is good to see that Williams, Stevens, and Banton are all doing well with the ball clubs Boston dealt them to — or in Williams case, the one where he has since landed.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast recently took some time on a recent episode to shine a light on how each of these Boston alumni have been doing in their current homes.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Jayson Tatum shares thoughts on Celtics trading Lamar Stevens

Jayson Tatum admitted that he will miss Lamar Stevens following his trade to the Memphis Grizzlies on February 7.

On February 7, the Boston Celtics traded Lamar Stevens to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal to acquire Xavier Tillman. President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens likely made the decision to include Stevens as part of the deal so that Boston could retain an open roster spot.

While the decision to send Stevens to the Grizzlies makes sense, it still hurt some of the Celtics’ roster. When speaking to the media following the Celtics win over the Atlanta Hawks, Tatum revealed that Stevens’ presence within the locker room was missed. He also noted how the defensive-minded wing was a good teammate and hard worker.

“Maybe he didn’t play as much, but his personality, how hard he worked,” Tatum said. “He was a great teammate, and everybody loved Lamar. Hopefully at his next stop, he gets an opportunity, because he works extremely hard and we’re going to miss him.”

Stevens joined Boston as a free agent during the off-season. His addition was seen as a win for the Celtics, as his defensive mindset and physicality were both areas that Joe Mazzulla‘s team needed to improve. However, the addition of Oshae Brissett quickly pushed Stevens down in the pecking order, and he struggled to earn a consistent role with the team.

By joining the Grizzlies, Stevens will have a legitimate opportunity to prove he can be an impactful player. Memphis is dealing with multiple injuries this season, which should allow Stevens to have a significant role within the rotation. From there, it’s up to him to prove he can stick once everyone returns next season.

Tatum appreciated what Stevens brought to the table. It’s likely his new teammates will too.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Celtics Lab 238: A deep dive into the deep rotation’s Stay Ready Crew with Noa Dalzell

Which players matter most to the team’s title aspirations? Which might be on the move ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? What talent does Boston have in the pipeline in Maine? And who will see the floor in the postseason?

The Boston Celtics have by most accounts the best top six players in the entire NBA to match their league-best regular season record. So, it can be easy to forget about the rest of the team. The so-called “Stay Ready Crew” mostly does just that — keep themselves in the right frame of mind and state of health in case their number is called.

And those numbers do get called, with players like Oshae Brissett and Lamar Stevens bringing energy and matchup-dependent options that have sparked wins for Boston, while the sharpshooting duo of Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser wreak havoc on opposing defenses. And if it were not for the likes of Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta defying expectations as reserve big men, you can be sure there would be less wins to the Celtics’ name this season.

Which players matter most to the team’s title aspirations? Which might be on the move ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? What talent does Boston have in the pipeline in Maine? And who will see the floor in the postseason?

To answer all of these key questions not quite getting the attention they deserve, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell.

The self-proclaimed Boston bench beat reporter who has a bead on a certain crew that stays ready, join us in a deep dive into the Celtics’ reserves. (Apologies for variable audio, wifi issues made for a few bumps).

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

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Should the Boston Celtics be playing Lamar Stevens more?

“I just want to be prepared for that moment and continue to focus on controlling what I can control,” said Stevens of his floor time vs. the Cavs.

Lamar Stevens unexpectedly got his chance to play for the Boston Celtics in Thursday’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite having logged less than four minutes since early November and rarely playing with the team’s main rotation, his opportunity came when a regular in the front court was suddenly absent from the bench, leading coach Joe Mazzulla to call on Stevens in during the first quarter.

The former Cavs forward said that  “when Luke (Kornet) went out, I thought there was a chance — you never know in this league. I just try to stay ready as much as I can. You just never know when your number’s going to get called.”

“I just want to be prepared for that moment and continue to focus on controlling what I can control,” he added. “I definitely feel like I’m ready for this moment and ready to help this team win.”

After the Celtics’ 116-107 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning and Josue Pavon analyzed Stevens’ impact on the game for the “Garden Report” podcast — check it out above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Lamar Stevens credits teammates for helping him succeed in limited role

Celtics wing Lamar Stevens credited his teammates for helping him poised to take advantage of any opportunity.

The Boston Celtics defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night 116-107, overcoming a performance marred by turnovers and fouls. While Boston shot the ball well, these hiccups allowed Cleveland to remain close throughout the game. This, in part, encouraged head coach Joe Mazzulla to turn to Lamar Stevens for support off the bench.

Stevens is a lengthy wing who joined Boston in September and has made a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball since entering the NBA in 2020. With the Celtics he has seen inconsistent playing time, appearing in only a handful of games thus far on the year. Against Cleveland, Stevens played well, making a few plays and fitting into the defense despite such an unclear role.

After the game, Stevens was asked about making the most of Thursday’s opportunity and what goes into meshing with his new teammates.

Which Boston Celtics alumni are earning the most dead money?

Sometimes, even very well-run ball clubs like the Boston Celtics make mistakes big enough that they hang around to haunt a team.

Sometimes, even very well-run ball clubs like the Boston Celtics make mistakes big enough that they hang around to haunt a team for seasons after the mistake was made. Most often, this comes in the form of signing a player to a contract they cannot possibly live up to the value of due to any of many unforeseen circumstances.

When that happens, a franchise will usually cut and stretch a player’s salary over multiple seasons to preserve as much of their cap space as possible for the duration of the contract remaining stretched between three and five seasons to ease the cap hit to the team. More often, however, a team will eat the deal at once, especially when it’s a smaller contract or just a season or two left on it, with what remains on the books still owed known as “dead money” in league parlance.

And in a recent HoopsHype analysis, it seems several Celtics alumni made the top 30 contracts of dead money in the league for these sorts of deals; let’s look at which deals they are on and where they are ranked.

Dalano Banton, Lamar Stevens on the Boston Celtics’ bench vs. Wizards

Banton and Stevens discussed their community outreach efforts and experiences with the team.

The Boston Celtics, with New England Baptist Hospital, hosted a Senior Celtics Dance Clinic at Tobin Community Center in Roxbury on Tuesday. Dalano Banton and Lamar Stevens discussed their community outreach efforts and experiences with the team afterward.

The two players were enthusiastic about their involvement with the local seniors and the joy they brought to them. They spoke about their inspiration for their costumes and their surprise at the seniors’ mobility and dance moves. Banton, originally from Toronto and a former student in Massachusetts, expressed his delight to be back in the area and the valuable relationships he still maintains. Stevens, from Philadelphia, confessed to a change of heart towards the Celtics now he is part of the team.

To hear more of their interview for yourself, take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of CLNS Media.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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The Boston Celtics will have as many as nine free agents in 2024

Finding the right balance between players the front office ought to want to retain without also paying too much to do so is a fraught needle to thread.

The Boston Celtics are officially a second apron ball club as they gear up to contend for an NBA-record 18th title this season, and will thus need to take great care with the talent on the team around the margins with the Celtics needing to keep good players on cheap contracts around, which is no easy task even without the additional exigencies of trying to win a title.

Finding the right balance between players the front office ought to want to retain without also paying too much to do so is a fraught needle to thread for Boston moving forward, but one they will need to pull off if they want to stay in the title hunt.

And they will have to do it a total of as many as nine times in the 2024 NBA offseason, with as many potential free agents looking at new deals; let’s take a look at who they are.

Will Oshae Brissett get more playing time with the Boston Celtics than Lamar Stevens?

At the end of the NBA’s 2023 preseason, the Boston Celtics are facing a decision about which of their reserve forwards should occupy a spot in their rotation.

At the end of the NBA’s 2023 preseason, the Boston Celtics are facing a decision about which of their reserve forwards should occupy a spot in their rotation, defensive-minded wing Lamar Stevens or swingman Oshae Brissett.

As the Celtics gear up for the regular season opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, fans and analysts are closely examining the performances of these two players in the Celtics’ 2023 preseason to determine who deserves the coveted minutes off the bench for Boston. The decision is far from straightforward, as both players bring unique qualities to the table.

To try and get an answer to this question, the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast recently sat down to talk it over on a recent podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their thoughts on the matter.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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