How Brad Stevens Has Turned Celtics Into One Of NBA’s Top Destinations

http://nesn.com/2017/07/how-brad-stevens-has-turned-celtics-into-one-of-nbas-top-destinations/



How Brad Stevens Has Turned Celtics Into One Of NBA’s Top Destinations



by Cameron McDonough



on Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 6:38PM



Top NBA free agents suddenly are interested in the Boston Celtics, and Danny Ainge believes he knows why.

The Celtics historically have had a tough time landing free agents, but they’ve signed Al Horford and Gordon Hayward, two of the top players in their respective free-agent classes, over the past two seasons.

And, as Ainge told ESPN’s Chris Forsberg in his excellent feature published Wednesday, head coach Brad Stevens has played a big role in that turnaround.

Of course, the Stevens factor was important in the Hayward recruitment, as the star swingman played for Stevens at Butler.

It still wasn’t a lock that Hayward would reunite with his former coach in Boston, but Stevens helped make that a reality by going over how the forward could thrive in the Celtics’ system. It was a pitch that looked something like this:

“It’s from a coach’s perspective, from how he sees this player fitting in. And Brad does it through video, he does it through statistics and analytics, and he shows it on the chalkboard,” Ainge told Forsberg of the presentations Stevens has made to elite free agents. “He shows exactly what he’s looking for from that player and how that player can be utilized.

“It’s not fluff. And I think the players see that. It’s not trying to make a case like, ‘You have to come here because of this statistic.’ It’s real stuff. And I think that that’s what players appreciate is that openness.”

So, get ready for that Stevens factor, 2018 free agents.




bob



.

This idea may become a reality when vet free agents are willing to come to Boston for short money.

Dboss

dboss wrote:This idea may become a reality when vet free agents are willing to come to Boston for short money.

Dboss

Dboss,

For that to happen we have to become GSW or Cleveland. We have to be one of the two obvious team to be in the NBA Finals.


bob


.

This phenomenon has been very nicely been developing in the time Stevens has been with the Cs, and is certainly not anything that could have been known about or expected to have happened.

I disagree that it will take until the Cs are one of the two best teams with a chance to win a title before we see some free agents willing to come to Boston to play for Stevens for short (at least shorter) money.

Although I have not read anything about it, I would bet that there have been agents calling the Cs more than ever before trying to place their clients in such a good setting.

The Crawford and Turner turnarounds clearly have sent the message to the rest of the league when added to the improving yearly win totals.

dboss wrote:This idea may become a reality when vet free agents are willing to come to Boston for short money.

Dboss

Baynes kind of did. He declined a player option for more money to come here.