BOSTON — As the Celtics began the defense of the 18th NBA title in their history with a banner raising and ring ceremony Tuesday night at TD Garden, head coach Joe Mazzulla made sure to remind them that the 2023-24 season officially is over.
“This team, the 2024-25 Celtics, is not great, yet. That’s it right there,” Mazzulla told reporters ahead of the season opener against the Knicks. “Do we have the potential to be? Yes. The key word ‘yet’ is very important. Do we have great talent? Yes. Do we have great players? Yes. Do we have a great foundation? Yes.
“Is this ’24-25 team great yet? No, because we haven’t been in a game. It just takes time and every season is different. Assuming that you’re just going to [do what you did] in the past doesn’t necessarily mean this is going to work now. You have to stay open-minded to do something different.”
Still, the Celtics are returning all of the players who played significant minutes in the NBA Finals last spring against the Mavericks, even though Kristaps Porzingis was not in the lineup Tuesday night due to an ankle injury.
As All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who signed a $314 million super-max extension over the summer, said earlier in training camp, the goal “was never just about trying to win one” championship.
A core also featuring Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will attempt to fend off the retooled Knicks and the rest of the Eastern Conference.
“The 2024-2025 Celtics are not a great team yet. We have the potential to be. We have the pieces to be. We have the foundation to be. We have to go through the process and get to that point over the course of the season,” Mazzulla added. “I think the humility of understanding we have to get better is what keeps the process of the mundane fun.
“So I’m not trying to find new ways to do it. I think it’s making sure we stay open-minded that we have to get better. I think that’s the challenge. They’re motivated. We compete at a high level every day. The guys have done that. But just because something works once doesn’t mean it’s going to work again.”
The Knicks, of course, were eliminated in the second round of the 2024 playoffs by the Pacers, who lost in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics.
The Knicks added two new starters in Mikal Bridges and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns in separate blockbuster trades over the summer.
OG Anunoby, who was an injured member of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team, and All-Star guard Jalen Brunson said before the game they were unsure if they would watch the Celtics raise their banner.
“It’s pretty cool to see a ring ceremony. I saw one in Toronto, so I know it’s a special night,” Anunoby said. “It’s good motivation to see the end goal of what you strive to do when the season starts, so it’s pretty cool.”
