June 17, 2024 was a day of celebration for Boston Celtics fans. And Ja'Whaun Bentley was celebrating right along with them.
The New England Patriots linebacker and co-captain is an avid Celtics supporter who frequently attends games at TD Garden. So, needless to say he was thrilled to watch the C's defeat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals to secure their 18th championship.
"Congrats to the Celtics, man. It’s a heck of a run," Bentley told reporters Tuesday during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. "Seeing those guys fight through adversity, fight through all the naysayers. I feel like every week it was something different that (critics) were trying to come up with, just starting different things. But they kept their head down and focused on the main task and didn’t let any of the outside noise affect what they were doing."
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While Bentley's Patriots aren't exactly title contenders like the Celtics -- their 2024 projected win total is set at 4.5, the lowest in the NFL -- the veteran linebacker still believes his team can take a page from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the defending champs.
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"The leadership with Al Horford, JT, JB, all those guys, and the role players they had too: They dominated in their role," Bentley said of the Celtics.
"I think that’s something any team, not just us, can take from and implement into (their) game, whether that’s watching how they do pregame, how they’re keeping their head down just working. I thought it was all just beautiful, and it’s always good to see teams that fight like that reap the benefits."
Bentley won a Super Bowl with the Patriots as a rookie in 2018, so he knows what success looks like in New England. But these Patriots will need more than the Bill Belichick-era "Do Your Job" mantra to return to contender status. Simply put, they need a lot more talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where the team lacks a game-changing wide receiver and will start either a journeyman veteran (Jacoby Brissett) or 21-year-old rookie (Drake Maye) at quarterback.
But as head coach Jerod Mayo noted Tuesday, the Patriots can make progress this season by building a strong "foundation" to set the team up for future success.
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"A successful season in my eyes is the foundation," Mayo said. "Have we put together a good foundation of young and old players to start competing? It'd be great to say we're going to win a Super Bowl, but it's about the process and progress."
The 2023-24 Celtics succeeded because the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford bought into being superstar role players who did whatever the team needed of them. The Patriots would be wise to promote a similar culture in New England that could pay off as their young talent develops.