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Boston Celtics: Brad Stevens The Trendsetter

By Eric Laboissonniere

Sep 25, 2015; Waltham, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during media day at the Boston Celtic Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2015; Waltham, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during media day at the Boston Celtic Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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When the Boston Celtics started the rebuilding process after the “Big 3” was gone, the Celtics were also looking for a coach, since coach Doc Rivers was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer of 2013. Rivers did not want to be a part of  the rebuilding process in Boston, but the Celtics needed to rebuild through the draft since the elite trio was on the decline.

The Celtics wasted no time after trading Rivers, the team decided to go with Brad Stevens, former mid-major college basketball coach at Butler. He led a mid-major basketball team to two NCAA Championship appearances, despite not being in a major conference. Hiring a coach from the college level is something that has not always been successful in the past because obviously the two games are very different, but Stevens has proved many doubters wrong.

Coach Stevens has exceeded expectations

The first season for Stevens was a learning year for the Celtics and coach Stevens. The team did not come close to making the playoffs, and the team did not find out their identity during the 2013-2014 season. The 2014-2015 season did not look like it was going to be much different of a season because the team did not really add many elite players. The team did add two praised first-round draft picks at the 2014 NBA Draft in Marcus Smart and James Young, but they were not expected to make a huge impact in their first year.

The team stayed in the top 10 of the conference for most of the year, and then the Celtics made some huge adjustments during the middle of the year. The team got rid of arguably their two best players in Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, but the team added some other players along the way. After the Celtics got rid of those two players, coach Stevens showed how great of a coach he was. He made sure everyone on the team was on the same page, and he found the right lineups and players to win games. The Celtics ended up making the playoffs as we all know, and they would have not made it to the playoffs without Stevens’ optimism and basketball intelligence.

Stevens took a band of misfits with one or two players with NBA talent to two NCAA finals, and last season he took a team that traded away their two best players mid-season to the playoffs. Stevens just gets the game of basketball at every level of the game. He is right up there with some of the best coaches in the NBA, and he finds a way to be successful without a superstar, which is very impressive. Giving Stevens a superstar would be interesting because he has never had one in his career as a coach. He did have Gordon Hayward at Butler during college, but he was not the Hayward that we know today. He might be just fine with a bunch of above average players that know how to play team basketball.

College coaches in the NBA might be the new trend

Two big-time college coaches have been hired this past offseason two try and fulfill some big shoes for the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder. Fred Hoiberg is an offensive genius, and the Bulls need some help on offense, which is why he was hired. Billy Donovan has a lot of pressure on him next season in Oklahoma City because he could be a factor in whether Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook come back for the 2016-2017 season. Hoiberg and Donovan have inherited very talented teams, so they are set up for a more successful opening season, but they also have a lot more pressure on them unlike Stevens did in his opening season.

The Bulls and the Thunder could be looked at as stealth tittle contenders, especially the Thunder, since they have two of the best scorers on the planet. If Hoiberg, Donovan, and Stevens all make the playoffs next season, which is highly possible, look for more college coaches like John Calipari, Tom Izzo, and maybe even Kevin Ollie to gain some interest from NBA teams.

There have been plenty of examples of successful college coaches that have made the leap to the NBA, but right now Stevens is the shining example of a college coach doing great things in the NBA.

Next: NBA Finals History: Ranking The Last 50 Champions

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