Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason

Iron sharpens iron

Kara Lawson is a WNBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist and one heck of a basketball mind.

The Boston Celtics signed her as an assistant coach under Brad Stevens, replacing the outgoing Micah Shrewsberry, who left for pastures new and a shot as a head coach in his own right.

Lawson brings with her a winner’s reputation following her success — both domestically and internationally. Lawson will become the fourth active female coach in the NBA, but what is more important is it’s another true basketball mind for Brad Stevens to bounce ideas off.

She will command the respect of all the players on the roster due to her glittering career and strong showings on ESPN since retiring from competitive basketball.

Having someone with the resume of Lawson bodes well for the development of the many young players on the team, while also offering the veterans with fresh ideas from a serial winner at every level of the game.

With the loss of Stevens’ lieutenant in Shrewsberry, Lawson represents a fresh face full of fresh ideas, meaning we may see some new play types or a tweak in the style of play the team implements this year.

Boston have shown it is at the forefront of the progression the league is making in terms of the respect women coaches deserve.

Becoming one of only four teams to have an active female coach, a fantastic addition to the bench which further strengthens the teams ethos of hard working staff willing to sacrifice for the good of the team.

Lawson knows how to win a basketball game, she has been doing it her whole life. Now she has the opportunity to pass on her wealth of knowledge to the upcoming generation of stars Boston has within its ranks.

Danny Ainge is proving that the shrewdest of moves doesn’t always equate to getting a ridiculous return for aging player, rather it can be bringing in one of the best coaches available — regardless of gender.