.Brad Stevens has been the head coach for the Boston Celtics since the 2013-2014 season. Before coming to Boston, Stevens was the Butler head coach. At the time of the hiring, Butler was one of the elite collegiate basketball schools.
Stevens was recruited to a poor Boston roster in 2013, which saw the last era of Boston basketball fade away. The year prior, both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded in a blockbuster deal that sent the two future Hall of Fame players to Brooklyn for a haul of first-round picks.
Stevens came to Boston with no superstar on the roster. However, he was granted a plethora of first-round picks that would turn into future stars. Stevens was hired as a defensive tactician. Hoping that his coaching would translate from the collegiate level to the NBA. Danny Ainge’s hire was fantastic, as Brad Stevens has been amongst the best coaches in the league. In eight seasons, Brad Stevens has a 351-276 (56%) record with the team. He has reached the playoffs for the past six seasons, and after this season will make it seven times. There have been multiple years to which the Boston head coach had received votes for Coach of the Year. Although he has yet to win the award, he is always in the conversation.
This year has been different. At least, compared to the previous several. Stevens has seemingly lost control of his team. There have been rumblings that Brad Stevens had lost his voice and command in the Boston locker room. With both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing an elite level, the team has yet to find consistent success this season. Is Brad Stevens to blame for the Celtic’s poor performance this season?
Is Brad Stevens Losing Control?
On the Felger and Mazz show, they talked about the idea that Stevens may have some players tuning him out. The two said that players are starting to tune out the coach, which is leading to sloppy basketball. Many believe that Felger and Mazz are correct and that Stevens has lost his appeal in Boston.
The head coach shouldn’t be blamed for the Celtic’s mishaps. In a strange 2021 season, the locker room is still alive and well listening to the veteran head coach. Stevens has been a great coach for Boston and is one of the best in the league. With a rollercoaster of a season, fans and media outlets are trying to pin the blame on the head coach. The problem with Boston is not the coaching, and what Brad Stevens is doing. The real problem for Boston is their health and depth.
Brad Stevens impact
Even after the trade deadline, Danny Ainge did not build a roster deep enough to contend for a championship. Although the addition of Evan Fournier and Luke Kornet has been promising, their efforts are still not enough to help a young bench. Romeo Langford and Robert Williams are still young. Stevens has done a great job in developing the two into highly efficient players at their respected game.
Brown and Tatum both became the players that they were under the tutelage of Brad. Both players are now superstars. Tatum and Brown do not perfectly complement each other in their playstyles but have shown success under Stevens. Stevens brought the Celtic’s to three Eastern Conference Finals appearances. He did this with two very young players.
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Many forget the impact that Stevens has on this organization. The Celtic’s will find their way. It might not be through this injury-riddled season, but next season might be the year. Brad Stevens has done an incredible job keeping this team afloat. He is wrongly blamed for the Celtics mishaps. If the Celtics were to change head coaches this off-season, they would be very unlikely they will find a coach of his caliber or better on the market.
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