“The year we won, I felt just as empty as I did when we lost.” (5/2/2026)

"My love language is violence and hitting people." (4/15/2026)

“It’s a good, small affirmation that he’s continuing to chip away at just getting better and better.” (3/30/2026)

"So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them." (3/30/2026)

“I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it....I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb.” (3/30/2026)

“Every season exposes yourself to yourself … third year you get a taste for what it’s like to lose.” (9/3/2024)

"He's continuing to get better and better." (3/27/2026)

“I think this game, his ability to spread the floor, get into the paint, make plays for himself or others, combat their physicality with offensive physicality and drives, I thought he took that challenge on. I thought he was great in it.” (3/17/2026)

“He was good for us in Summer League....He was great for us in Summer League and I think just having him on the roster for this time period will be good for us as well.” (3/16/2026)

“I think they are one of the toughest teams in the league. I think they bring the best out of you, and again, it was good for us to earn that. We had to earn the win through our defensive playmaking and our offensive execution. That’s something we have to continue to get better at.” (3/17/2026)

“I wouldn’t consider myself a boss, and I don’t consider Derrick an employee.” (3/24/2026)

"From what it means to coach him, there’s just gratitude. You don’t take for granted being able to coach some of the best players in the game today, but some of the best players of all time." (3/18/2026)

“I just trust him to figure out.” (3/20/2026)

“He’s looking comfortable out there, he’s continuing to get in shape. He’s rebounded at a high level on both ends of the floor, playing at a fast pace, screening, making two-on-one reads. He’s continuing to grow in that, he’s playing with a smile on his face.” (3/18/2026)

"Besides the 41 points, I think really he had a big-time steal." (3/17/2026)

“It was good. He gave the game what it needed…both ends of the floor, had a couple good defensive possessions, rebounded for us, sort of gave the game exactly what it needed.” (3/8/2028)

“There’s a sense of gratitude and a sense of perspective….At the end of the day, you saw a guy at his most vulnerable state, and you’re seeing that journey back.” (3/6/2026

"That's why you coach... to be a part of someone else's story and someone to be a part of yours." (3/6/2026)

"I can't tell you. There was a lot of funny stuff that we said. But I have a lot of respect for him, you know." (3/12/2026)

“He and I had great talks on conspiracies.” (3/12/2026)

"He was a hell of a principal." (3/10/2026)

"I just give a ton of credit to my high school principal. He had the balls to throw a student out. He didn't leave it to the hall monitor." (3/10/2026)

"When he was 100% healthy, he’s missed six shots in a row before. So I don’t think that really matters." (3/6/2026)

“The NBA season tests everything. But it tests just your ability to stick together all the time.” (1/21/2026)

“It is a celebration for one of our teammates that has went through a journey and worked his ass off to get to where he is today. And so we appreciate that about our teammate, and we come together as a team to win the game.” (3/6/2026)

“It’s been a long journey, and the culmination of a new journey begins today. It’s a credit to him for the work ethic that he’s put in, and the support staff — his family and also the support staff of the Celtics — getting to this point. So now we start another one.” (3/6/2026)

“I may not even be alive by that day….I go to bed questionable and I wake up probable.” (3/5/2026)

“We want to validate work ethic. We want to validate the process by trusting all 12, 13, 14, or 15 guys that are in the game.” (3/3/2026)

"I think, regardless of if Payton's coming off the bench or not, he just plays at a level. I mean, he just has the ability to impact the game in different ways, and so it doesn't matter where he's at in the rotation." (2/20/2026)

“He played well.” (3/2/2026)

""So it's not about what he's best at; he's good at a lot of things." (2/22/2026)

"I think he just has continued to get better, understand what his role is for us, understand how to do that every night." (2/25/2026)

“We’ll see how we approach our preparation for our next game, and that will dictate how well we’ve handled today.” (2/25/2026)

"The story's not done. We are only a product of what we do tomorrow, what we do the next day, and that's just the story." (2/23/2026)

“He said that? That’s awesome.” (2/22/2026)

“I don’t operate on feel. I live by principle.” (2/21/2026)

“He was at practice.” (2/22/2026)

“I don't have to encourage him to do those things." (2/10/2026)

"Whether it’s their shot making, whether it’s their fouling, whether it’s their offensive rebounds—you can only hold down the fort for so long." (2/8/2026)

“I don't know what he does at home. He's got a wife and kids, so I hope he's spending time with them, but he cares about the details, he cares about wanting to get it right, and he wants to win. So I trust the process of his preparation.” (2/11/2026)

“It really just depends on how we attack the week from a recovery standpoint and then how we attack heading back into it.” (2/11/2026)

"There's a lot of people that, you know, make sure everything's going smooth—you know, on and off the court—and we've had a few games this year that have had both and watching that process...very appreciative of that. So just thankful for the gift and, you know, thankful for what they do." (2/11/26)

“I just think they’re a team that’s developed identity over the course of the season.” (1/26/2026)

"Just because we played well tonight doesn't mean anything the next day." (1/18/2026)

“Everyone’s impacted by stuff differently.” (1/27/2026)

“We just added a new guy to the team. Everyone's impacted in some type of way, just human beings. So it's naturally going to go like that. And you've got my stupidity that I'm doing, trying to get prepared for everything, so I thought they handled it really well.” (2/6/2026)

“We’re in a great spot.” (2/6/2026)

“Payton’s a competitor. He wants to win. He wants to do what’s best for our team. I thought that gave us the best chance to win.” (2/3/2026)

“You have to understand that they’re more than just basketball players.” (2/3/2026)

“The best thing about this roster is each guy's ability to impact winning in different ways … Every guy on this roster has helped us win a game, possessions, end of quarters, starter quarters. And to me, that's just the most important thing.” (2/1/2026)