Bleacher Report has recently ranked Brad Stevens as the third best coach in the NBA
Brad Stevens has known nothing but renowned respect in the NBA. Last season was his first year above .500 and he is yet to escape the third round of the playoffs. And yet, he continues to be looked at as one of the elite coaches in the NBA, and Bleacher Report has him right there with the best of the best.
Only Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle were ranked higher than Stevens, and that puts him ahead of multiple championship winning coaches. The likes of Doc Rivers, Eric Spoelstra, Stan Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau have been established in the NBA for years, and yet the Celtics know their coach can stand up with each and every one of them.
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The calling card for Stevens has been his ability to get more out of the talent that is available to him. The Celtics have been rebuilding much faster than anyone could have anticipated, and that is because Stevens has managed to get more than he should out of his rosters. The Celtics have been looked at as superstar less overachievers, and a lot of the credit has gone to Stevens.
His out of timeout plays are not the only thing that makes him great, Stevens accomplished some special feats with the team last year. The Celtics were one of the worst shooting teams in the league, and yet Stevens had them playing a system that made them one of the highest scoring teams in the league. They lacked any kind of interior defense, and yet he still had one of the strongest defensive teams in the league.
Stevens has exceeded any expectations there could have been on his ability to coach in the NBA, but things have changed this season. The Celtics will no longer be overachievers. Their youth has developed, Isaiah Thomas is an All-Star and Al Horford gives them the kind of talent a team needs to be a contender in the East.
For the first time in his career, Stevens finally has the kind of talent he needs to see his systems fully realized. Stevens has been masterful at making adjustments, and has continually proven that he will find how to optimize what the team can do with the players they have on the court. Stevens has more options than ever before but that also means that expectations are rising.
The Celtics can no longer be the inconsistent team that lost to multiple bottom dwellers last season. The Celtics can no longer be one of the least balanced rosters in the NBA, and they can no longer have an inconsistent rotation. Stevens has already earned the respect and now he can finally demonstrate exactly why he can be seen as the third best coach in the NBA. Simply making the playoffs is no where near enough, and another first round exit would be unacceptable this season.
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Bleacher Report is not the only place where Stevens has been given the utmost respect, but if he does not get better results with this much improved roster, he could start to see doubters for the first time in his career. The Celtics gave Stevens his massive contract for a reason and have already extended him. Stevens is going to be at the helm for the foreseeable future and now he can properly reward the Celtics for the faith they have put into him.