The genius of Brad Stevens
The Boston Celtics are in the playoff hunt. The best player on the Celtics is Isaiah Thomas. Even in the woeful Eastern Conference, this qualifies as nothing short of a quasi miracle. In this case, head coach Brad Stevens is the miracle worker.
Stevens, 38, was hired by Boston in 2013 after he spent the previous seven years becoming a legend with his hometown Butler Bulldogs. While at Butler, Stevens turned a solid mid-major program into a national power. In 2010 and 2011, Stevens accomplished one of the greatest feats of all-time in college basketball by getting Butler to the National Championship game in consecutive seasons. Only a couple inches on a potential title-winning half-court heave off the hands of Gordon Hayward separated Stevens and the most indelible moment in collegiate sports history.
Entering the NBA, nobody expected a miraculous turnaround with the rebuilding Celtics. General manager Danny Ainge brought Stevens in with the idea of long-term success, and so far the plan is going well. Boston has a litany of draft picks stocked up from the deal which sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets, and the homegrown talent is beginning to ripen.
Jared Sullinger is becoming a legitimate force on the interior while Tyler Zeller appears to be a promising man in the pivot. Rookie Kelly Olynyk is also showing flashes of promise as a 23-year-old out of Gonzaga University, giving Boston solid assets to either continue to cultivate or trade when the moment is right.
In charge of bringing the talent out of these youngsters? Stevens. While Gregg Popovich is the best coach in basketball and Doc Rivers is perhaps the most loved by his players, Stevens represents the next great coach. Should Boston qualify for the postseason this year, it should be talked about in Beantown and NBA circles in reverent tones.
The Celtics will get creamed by the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers should they make it, but to worry about that would be missing the point. This is a star league, and Boston has none. Yet, Stevens has this team playing its best basketball late in the year, when most young, fairly untalented teams are mentally on the golf course.
Few coaches are looked at in a positive light when they are sporting a 55-93 record after their first two seasons. Stevens is different, because even the most casual basketball fan can understand he is working with so little, and yet continues to make real progress. In 2013, Stevens led Boston to a 25-57 mark. Last year, the record improved to 30-52. This year, the Celtics are already guaranteed to finish better.
The real chance for greatness again is likely following the 2015-16 season, when the cap is expected to exceed $90 million and Boston has only $14.85 million in salaries on the books.
In the meantime, Celtics fans can sit back and relax. They have Brad Stevens.
