BOSTON -- Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens spent the August doldrums thinking about ways his team can utilize new personnel, such as free-agent signee Gerald Green. Stevens is simply glad to not have to game plan against the nine-year veteran for a change.

"I’ve been a big Gerald Green fan because I’ve been scared of him," Stevens said. "And I think that that’s a great way to figure out how good a player is. When you go into a game, he’s on your scouting report, maybe in a highlighted way because he could go off for a lot of points in a short amount of time.

"He can change the course of a game. Does he do it every night, historically? No. But he’s had moments and times where he has done that. So I think he brings a spurt-ability to us that we clearly needed from a scoring standpoint."

Stevens hadn't met with the assembled Boston media since the end of the team's summer league foray in Las Vegas in mid-July. After Boston made a big splash with the addition of Al Horford early in the summer -- then missed out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes -- the team made a series of quieter moves near the end of July in signing Green and restricted free agent Tyler Zeller.

Now Stevens is preparing for a training camp in which Boston will bring in 18 roster-caliber players, including 16 on guaranteed contracts, to fight for 15 spots. It's Stevens' job to figure out what each player can do well and what combinations will best fit the team.

"I think as a coach you get away a little bit [in the summer] but, at some point, you’re antsy to get back at it. Maybe you are rewriting the third version of what you’re [going to do at training camp] -- I don’t know. You think about it all year," Stevens said. "I’m just going to be ready for [the start of training camp on] Sept. 27, and ever since the end of July I’ve had a pretty good idea of what we’re going to look like as a team and who’s going to help us in what ways. It’s just a matter now of putting the pieces together and hopefully playing well."

Added Stevens: "I think you have to put a lot of time and thought into what your new guys have done well, how that plays within what you’ve done, or if you need to change some of what you’ve done to fit them better. And so you go through that and you make sure you come up with a plan that fits everybody the best to bring out all of their best strengths."

Some highlights from Stevens' seven-minute chat with Boston reporters at TD Garden before an ABCD Hoops Dream fundraiser that also featured former Celtics coach Doc Rivers:

• Filling the ET void: Stevens admitted there's a noticeable chasm for the Celtics, both on their second unit and in late-game lineups, with the departure of Evan Turner. "That’s going to be a tough role to fill. He was a heck of a player for us," Stevens said. "He made huge plays at the end of games. He made big, big shots. His shooting percentages were not always great but, when the game was on the line and the clock was winding down, you felt like it had a good chance of going in. He made free throws late in games and he guarded two or three positions. Time will tell; we’ll find out. We’ve got a lot of guys that will get an opportunity to step up and fill his void, but it is a void."

• Horford's only focus is winning: Asked about the challenge of acclimating new faces, Stevens didn't seem overly concerned about Horford settling in with his new team. "The one thing about Al is he is very comfortable in who he is," Stevens said. "And he knows that he’s going to impact the game, defensively, in a good way. He knows he’s going to do it, offensively, in a good way. And all he’s ever really cared about is winning. I’ve said this about only a few guys before: Winning is enough for him. And he’s clearly proven that over the years. That’s what makes him a really, really special addition for us is the fact that he can do all those things at a very good level: score it, defend, everything else. But he impacts others and empowers others, so we’ll see how long it takes to get him ingrained in it. But he’s a good fit for how we play."

• Thrilled for Zeller: The Celtics elected to bring back Zeller on a deal that will pay him $8 million this season -- the fourth-highest salary on the team behind only Horford, Avery Bradley and Amir Johnson. Still, it was noteworthy that Boston was willing to bring back Zeller -- with a non-guaranteed second season that will make him a bit of a trade asset down the road -- and move on from former first-round pick Jared Sullinger. "We’ve talked about Tyler’s consistency and approach, regardless of minutes. He’s been a great pro," Stevens said. "He’s had great moments here, both as a player and as a teammate. And we’re thrilled that he’s back."