While Boston Celtic fans have entered the true off-season, listening to a familiar man's reflections on his old club seems like the thing to do.

It can be hard and often there is no good timing for hearing the truth, but when Paul Pierce speaks on the current Celtic team, with a view on the rebuilding process and where the organization is at, you want to lean in.

The Boston Herald recently brought a piece on the 19th featuring Paul Pierce, who although no longer wearing green, can’t help himself from watching the games and paying attention – always nice to hear, it also makes sense, as he is considering his future after his active NBA career.

“Until you can get that one guy who’s a franchise-changer, you have to put yourself in a good position, and that’s what they’ve done.”

You’ve probably already heard or seen a similar statement, with regards to Boston’s rebuild. However the organization has yet to find a young “superstar”. This is actually ok, if you don’t have a “we must be a contender right now” mindset. As Pierce views it, Boston is doing right with the things they can control.

“But they’re heading in the right direction. They’ve got good players and a good coaching staff. (Coach) Brad Stevens has been really impressive. He’s a really good young coach.”

Danny Ainge and Co. got Brad Stevens, and Pierce has noticed the young coach’s quick adaption to the NBA and how his footprint shows in certain little things throughout the games. However, although Stevens is receiving good recognition around the league, Pierce believes that he still has some way to go before having an important impact in free agent recruiting. Pierce adds, for Boston to become a free-agent-go-to destination, Celtics would either need a superstar or be ready for contention. Right now, he views the team as a “middle-of-the-pack team,” ready for a superstar.

In this reporters mind, it all pretty much adds up and points in a good direction. Though it’s easy to be a pessimist and chime the same old song: “where are the fireworks” or the top draft pick, you can’t complain about effort. During the last season, Ainge and Co. pushed the reset button all the way down in trading away Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, and that somehow made coach Stevens work with the remaining players more fruitfully. Both younger and older players have flourished, and with that in mind, why should the Celtic fans not be excited about the upcoming season?

Sure, there seems to be a somewhat lack of minutes for ALL players on the current roster, but: 1. This is pretty much an issue for every team in NBA, although you could argue that a few of the top contenders have it different. 2. As Pierce puts it from his younger days, players develop well when competing against peers at practice. 3. Injuries happen. 4. Boston has a good collaboration with their D-League affiliate (Maine Red Claws) and will probably utilize this option for the younger players, should there be a lack of playing time on the Celtics. 5. This off-season is still not over and you can be sure that Danny Ainge is still working on optimizing the roster for Stevens.

So what should the fan base do now? They wait with hope and anticipation. They should hope that:

Marcus Smarts injured hand (fingers) heals up well
James Young has a great experience in his training with Kevin Durant and returns with that extra thing in his baggage, helping him to progress and earn more minutes in the Celtic rotation.
Perry Jones III, with the new opportunity in Celtics training camp, seizes his chance and becomes the steal of this offseason.

And of course that every player comes back from the off-season healthy and with an improved skillset.

Of course Boston fans should anticipate just one or two extra trades. Although it’s rarely fun to see a player leave, it’s better to see them leave for a new opportunity and get something new in return.