What type of player do Boston Celtics need? Head coach Brad Stevens explains

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What type of player do Boston Celtics need? Head coach Brad Stevens explains





Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens smiles as he heads back to the bench during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Boston, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on February 18, 2016 at 2:30 AM



SALT LAKE CITY -- One day before the NBA trade deadline, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens explained what type of player his team needs.

Stevens only addressed the topic when asked directly about it, and he made sure to stress he is focused on the guys in the locker room. Still, he would like the Celtics to become more versatile at the defensive end. That is possible organically through the development of athleticism, strength and/or awareness, of course, but could also be a priority as Boston scans the trade market before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline.

"I think the biggest thing is that we need to keep -- and again, my focus is on this team -- we just need to continue to grow in our versatility and our ability to guard multiple players and our ability to guard multiple positions," Stevens said. "Some guys have shown a real unique ability to do that. The more guys that can do that, the better. And I think that we've got some guys that are improving in that regard.

"As I look at our team, and I look around the league and how to get better, I think the biggest thing is is how versatile can each guy be in defending? And obviously be a good defender at multiple positions, not just be a defender at multiple positions. But then, offensively, do they bring a skill that enables you to play good offense? It's not necessarily about who shoots it great, or who does this, or who does that, but how does it work within five guys playing good offense. We've been playing pretty good offense for the past month."

As Stevens mentioned, the Celtics have a few versatile defenders. The one who stands out the most is Jae Crowder, who helps free Stevens to use lineups that can switch, pressure and limit teams at one end while posing matchup problems at the other. These days, every team wants a guy like Crowder. Apparently (no surprise here), the Celtics wouldn't mind another.



bob
MY NOTE:  I think this is why Dwight Howard would NOT be a good fit for this team and system.  He is a 5.  Period.  Brad likes/wants players who can defend multiple positions.  That is key to his rotations.  We switch a lot at the perimeter.  You cannot do that if you have a player out there, perhaps defending a pick, who cannot handle the switch because he can only guard his man and nobody else's. These comments, I believe, give great insight into what kind of player Brad wants AND what players Danny is pursuing. I think Brad and Danny are on the same page. Forget about classic centers or classic power forwards etc on this team.

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