Brad Stevens may not win Coach of the Year this season, but that day isn’t far off, according to writer Chris Mannix.
In Boston, Stevens, 39 and without a whiff of NBA experience before taking the job, has a roster devoted to him. After two years of turnover, the Celtics have pieced together a solid young core. Stevens has developed Isaiah Thomas into an All-Star, molded Crowder into a valuable two-way forward and turned Evan Turner into an elite sixth man. Stevens is relentlessly positive, just like at Butler, treating players so well, assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry has said that players feel guilty if they don’t play the right way.
Yahoo – Why Brad Stevens might be the NBA’s next great coach
Mannix perhaps has a unique perspective on Stevens, since he’s a national reporter who also has worked extensively in the studio and on the sidelines for Celtics’ local TV coverage. For a while this season, Mannix even was handling the pre- and post-game interviews with Brad. Obviously, the writer has gotten to know the coach very well, and likes what he sees.
So do Stevens’ peers.
“His capacity to prepare and his will to prepare is as great as anyone I’ve ever seen,” Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga told The Vertical. “The only other person I’ve been around who is like that is Kevin Garnett. He’s the most prepared coach in the gym in every gym he is in.” […]
Stevens scoffs at the suggestion his routine is any different than his peers. Forever humble, Stevens refuses to accept the premise. His secret: Being unoriginal. “I don’t think we have ever scored on a play that wasn’t derived from someone else’s,” Stevens said. Other coaches see it. “They run plays where you think, ‘Wait, where have I seen that before,’” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “And then you realize it was one of the best plays another team ran.”
The timing of this article couldn’t be better. It came out the same day as Isaiah Thomas’ Players Tribune piece about how great it is to play in Boston. And since the playoffs begin tomorrow, the spotlight on Brad will shine even brighter if he can lead the Celtics to a series win over Atlanta (something that, at least, the majority of ESPN writers predict).
No matter how the series turns out, future free agent Al Horford will have a first-hand look at “the NBA’s next great coach.” Can’t hurt.
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