The Boston Celtics are looking to be big players in free agency this year but have one problem, they do not have the kind of talent that gives them an edge over other options. The Celtics have been seen as overachievers with regards to their talent and if players are thinking about beating this Warriors team, then they are going to want more high end talent to believe they have a chance.
Isaiah Thomas is going to do everything to recruit but that alone will not be enough for the best the NBA has to offer. The Celtics do, however, have something that no other team does and he can be a difference maker both in bringing free agents in and in getting those free agents a championship. The number one free agency attraction that the Celtics have is Brad Stevens.
Despite minimal playoff success and this being his first head coaching job out of college, Stevens has earned the respect of the league. People have seen what he has accomplished with the talent he has at his disposal in Boston and they understand what kind of team he’d be able to lead if they get the high end talent that they need.
Stevens has done a phenomenal job of implementing an offensive system that gave them solid success, despite being one of the worst shooting teams in the league. Stevens did a phenomenal job of getting his players to play some of the best defense in the league, despite having arguably the worst interior defense in the league.
Stevens has adapted his systems to accommodate his players’ weaknesses while bringing out the very best they are capable of bringing. Now, try and imagine what happens if Stevens gets that talent. The development of their youth alone will be a huge boost but if the Celtics can get Stevens the two max contract free agents they have room for, then people will finally see what Stevens is capable of, and the players should know that.
The Warriors have proven that talent alone will not be enough to beat them. The Warriors have managed to combine the best shooting this league has ever seen with one of the best fast paced ball movement based offensive systems in the league. It is not enough to assemble a new big three and expect that talent alone to be enough to take down the Warriors. That high end talent needs to be combined with a coach that can implement the kind of system that can stand with the Warriors, and Stevens can bring that.
The Celtics’ talent may be too much of a drop off for the top free agents to believe they can win in Stevens’ system, but there is no doubting that Stevens is the biggest attraction the Celtics have. Stevens can offer the free agents something that very few teams can and it is something that is clearly becoming necessary to truly compete for a title.
Now that Brad Stevens has been given the contract extension, there is also a sense of security for incoming free agents. If a team has the potential to assemble a big three, it is much more difficult to gauge whether or not that talent will stay together. Stevens is not going anywhere and any free agent that comes to Boston can come knowing that they will be with Stevens the rest of the way.
The Celtics may not get the high end talent in this year’s free agency that they need but that is not the end of the world. Stevens will still be there next year, after the cap has increased and with a much better free agency class. The Celtics have demonstrated that they will continue to be patient and after another season of development, that may be enough to get the Celtics the talent they need to bring in those top free agents.
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The hope is that Boston can assemble the talent they need this offseason but they can feel a lot better knowing that the best free agency attraction they have this season will be right where he needs to be for the foreseeable future. The Celtics have established incredible stability in their rebuild and that may be one of the more underrated things that should be considered by free agents.