Brad Stevens Will not be Fazed by Expectations

Brad Stevens will have no problem handling the high expectations this season

The Boston Celtics had their best offseason in a long time by acquiring Al Hoford, but that is putting them into unchartered territories. The Celtics are not far off from season expectations that did not even include the playoffs, and all of a sudden the standard appears to be a top three team in the Eastern Conference. Brad Stevens, along with the majority of their core, has never dealt with these expectations in the NBA and for a lot of people that could drastically change their mindset.

Stevens, however, has proven that he is one of the most unique and talented coaches in the NBA. When the Celtics first signed him, he was put into a position that is extremely rare in the NBA. In an era that has seen playoff coaches and former coaches of the year fired after what were semi successful seasons, Stevens has had the kind of job security that even the greats dream of.

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Stevens was coming into the NBA as the youngest coach in the league, with absolutely no experience. Still, the Celtics put all their faith in him during their rebuild with an unprecedented six year initial contract. Then, they took things even further. After two first round playoff exists and three years left on his contract, Stevens was extended for even longer.

There is no doubting that the Celtics have elevated expectations this year and there will be a lot more pressure on the team. Fortunately, most of that pressure is external. All the talk of the Celtics being the second best team in the East is coming from the media. Danny Ainge has spoken directly about those expectations and has preached a wait and see mentality.

The same things goes for the players. The Celtics have assembled a collection of confident players with chips on their shoulders, and yet none of them have fallen into the trap of making predictions. No one is buying into the idea that adding Horford will automatically make them an elite team in the East. They understand they need to prove themselves on the court.

For such a young team, the Celtics have done a remarkable job of keeping things in perspective and the last person that is going to be impacted by these external expectations is Stevens. People may talk about some sort of hot seat if the Celtics are disappointing for the first time in Stevens’ career, but there is no reason to think that will even cross the front office’s mind.

The Celtics have continued to be patient with their young players and that kind of patience will certainly extend to the coach. The Celtics have done a great job of rebuilding and they have rebuilt through Stevens’ vision, and they want to and will continue to build through him, even if the team does not quite live up to this offseason’s hype.

Dec 26, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

Stevens has always kept a level head with the Celtics and has always let his coaching speak for itself. After so many years of overachieving, it would not be unreasonable to expect some sort of let down to eventually come. Fortunately, there is no reason to believe that any kind of let down in this stage will threaten their long term outlook.

The Celtics know they need to be competitive in the Eastern Conference, but they also know they have not finished assembling what they believe can be a contending team. For Stevens and the front office, the priority is likely to remain developing as much as possible. The Celtics have so much youth and uncertainty and they are not going to sacrifice that for the sake of winning now.

If Danny Ainge is presented with a trade that he believes gives the team the talent they need to contend, that will change things, but that will have no impact whatsoever on Stevens. Stevens has always been unfazed when the front office has toyed with the players on his roster and he will always be prepared to go to battle with the players at his disposal.

The Celtics have shown a commitment to going through the process of rebuilding properly and they could face their biggest test this season. The Celtics are yet to experience an underachieving team and it makes all the difference knowing that neither the coach nor the GM will panic if that happens for the first time. Although, there also is no reason to believe the Celtics will disappoint based on what Stevens has accomplished so far.

Stevens has been more than the Celtics could have imagined when they signed him and more so than anyone else, he is here for the long haul and there really is nothing that can happen this season that should change that.

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Stevens knows what needs to be the priority with this team and the front office should be able for recognize that. Stevens and the front office have appeared to be on the same page throughout and these external expectations for the number two seed this season will be a non factor for Stevens.

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