The Celtics added 38-year-old Mike Conley to provide veteran leadership and he has already started the process of mentoring his younger teammates, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Conley, who’s preparing for his 20th NBA season, said he’s been working closely with Payton Pritchard, offering advice on how a small guard can survive in the league for so long.

“We’re talking the game all the time,” Conley said. “I should shoot a floater; you should shoot a midrange shot. Like different things that complement his game might not complement mine. I recognize that and you just gotta know who you’re talking to and that personnel-specific. I’m excited to kind of get my hands on different opportunities and to kind of get my brain to as much as those guys that are willing to listen.”

Conley, who appeared in 54 games and averaged 18.4 minutes per night with Minnesota last season, will probably have a similar role in Boston. He entered free agency hoping to join a team that would give him a shot at winning a championship before he retires, and he believes he found that with the Celtics.

“We got a really deep team, a really deep roster,” Conley said. “Our young guys — who have been working really, really hard this offseason — they’ve got a lot of talent. They’ve got a lot to their games. They love to learn. Very high IQ. It’s just about giving them more and more to their plate every day I can. If there’s something I see, I’m not quiet about it. I’m just going to say, ‘Hey, do this next time or look at this.’”

There’s more from Boston:

• In his introductory news conference this week, Conley said he used to think coach Joe Mazzulla was “crazy” based on his reputation for intensity, but he’s finding out that it’s not true since they’ve been working together, Terada adds in a separate story. “He’s not crazy,” Conley said. “No, my impressions have been everything that I expected. I think from here, from some of the players who played for him, just from around the league, his ideas, he’s not afraid to push the envelope a little bit to try things. To try different schemes and different reactions for players, different ways of getting things across. It’s refreshing for me.”
• Health is the biggest question surrounding Paul George, and the Celtics got some encouraging news at that same press conference when George said he’s feeling great again, Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe notes in a subscriber-only piece. Benbow points out that George has missed nearly 40% of his teams’ games since the 2019/20 season and hasn’t been available for a season opener since 2023. George told reporters this week that the trade from Philadelphia to Boston has been good for him. “It’s almost like a rebirth to be in a system, be in a winning culture, a winning environment, and to feel good,” he said.
• The Celtics organization has moved past the Jaylen Brown trade, per Chad Finn of The Boston Globe (subscription required), and he encourages Boston fans to do the same.