Brad Stevens is the Fastest Rising Coach in the NBA

When the Boston Celtics hired Brad Stevens he was one of the youngest coaches in the NBA. At just 38 years old it remains a legitimate possibility that Stevens will be coaching players that are younger than him. His age didn’t phase the Celtics in the slightest as they gave Stevens the ultimate vote of confidence by giving him a 6 year contract.

The Celtics realized that they were about to start a major rebuild and they wanted Stevens to have the assurance that even if they struggle, he was going to have an opportunity to allow his system play itself out through the whole process. And the Celtics did struggle as Stevens holds a career win percentage of .396 and is a combined 17 games under .500.

Perhaps the most amazing this is that even through the tough times with the Celtics, Stevens has still received universal praise from around the league. Stevens is still just in his second year and has a grand total of zero playoff wins but players are already coming out and showering praise on him.

Mar 25, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures after a call against his team during the second quarter against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The most recent time was Jared Dudley who came on Grantland’s podcast The Lowe Post and explained how wide spread the admiration for Stevens is. Dudley had this to say:

"Players, ex-players. I played with Jerryd Bayless, who played with him, different guys that have played for him. He, obviously, back then, he was a rookie coach … but he was coaching like a vet. He knew when to give rest to the guys, not be in practice too long; his X’s and O’s; his confidence he instilled in his players; he was playing a lot of different guys. He just knew it. I think some people just get it at the young age. As you saw with [Golden State Warriors coach Steve] Kerr, he had a great team, but he got it"

Steve Kerr is an interesting example because of how drastically different of a situation he came into. Kerr joined a team that was at the very worst on the fringe of contending. The Warriors had most of the pieces they knew would be good enough to get them a championship. Stevens, on the other hand, had to build up from the bottom with a team who traded away every significant player on the roster.

Nov 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) and forward Jeff Green (8) return up court against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at TD Garden. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Boston Celtics 110-107. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics also gave Stevens a phenomenal collection of assets and he has an opportunity to build this team exactly the way he wants to. A lot of responsibility is put on Stevens’ shoulders but everyone has been able to see his brilliance and there’s no better option for this current Celtics team.

In every phase they are all about the youth right now and once all the young talent has an opportunity to develop Stevens will have all the right pieces for a system that has already earned him respect from the league.

The Celtics took a risk by putting so much trust into a young rookie coach coming out of college but with how quickly he has established himself in the NBA the Celtics are having absolutely no regrets.

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