Boston Celtics Asking too Much from Brad Stevens?

Brad Stevens has done everything the Boston Celtics have needed, but are they asking too much this season?

The Boston Celtics have gone through one of the most ridiculous offseasons we have ever seen. Fresh off an eastern conference championship, the Celtics have just four returning players, with the lone starter being Al Horford.

That being said, the Celtics have undoubtedly increased the talent of this roster. Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving can transform the east, and there is incredible young depth all over the bench.

This is, without question, the most talented roster that Brad Stevens has ever had at his disposal, but this could also be the toughest assignment of his young career.

It starts with the expectations. The Celtics are now expecting to have home court throughout the playoffs in the East, and they need to be able to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a spot in the Finals, that they know is within their reach.

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For the first time in his career, Stevens is not going to be at the head of the underdogs, and he has the kind of expectations that have made a lot of talented coaches look awful.

Now, Stevens needs to reach those expectations with the most unfamiliar roster of his career. This is nothing new to Stevens. The Celtics have gone though crazy roster turnovers each year with Stevens, and a lot of those changes have happened mid season.

Stevens has never let that derail him, but it is a completely different approach when he is expected to take that roster to the finals, instead of being expected to pick in the lottery.

It is unprecedented to see a roster turnover for a conference finals team like the Celtics this season, and it could lead to a rougher season than many are anticipating.

There is absolutely no chemistry with the starting unit, because the only way Stevens will have former teammates starting is with Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown and Horford. On the second unit, it is a similar situation.

The Celtics have a completely new front court with literally no returning members from last year’s second unit, and three of the key members, Guerschon Yabusele, Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis are rookies.

Jayson Tatum is expected to be the main scoring option on the second unit, also as a rookie, and whoever is not starting between Smart and Brown will be the most important second unit player, and both are 23 years old or younger right now.

Stevens will need to find a way to completely adapt his offensive system to accommodate two new top scoring options in Irving and Hayward, and he will have to find a way to make sure these guys are also playing defense as well.

There will be tremendous defensive pressure on the youngest players on the team. Brown will need to replace the small ball impact of Jae Crowder, and without those two young bigs, the Celtics will not be able to play small ball with the more experienced Horford, Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris.

Stevens needs to bring these players together, get them playing the kind of offense that will compliment two primary options and he will have to be trusting one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.

It is odd, but the most talented roster of Stevens’ career will be, by far, the most difficult to optimize, and he will be doing under the most pressure and scrutiny of his career.

Whether or not this is asking too much is yet to be determined. With enough time, Stevens would certainly turn this roster into an absolute juggernaut. The problem is that he has the pressure of making this team a powerhouse right now, with a team that has absolutely no idea how to play together.

Stevens has been the beneficiary of players that have always fully bought into what he was doing. Stevens is phenomenal at finding every way to bring the best out of his players, but part of that is the player willing to sacrifice certain things to buy into what he is doing. Right now, we still do not know how man of these players will buy in.

So, on top of the fact that Stevens needs to make a completely new and unfamiliar roster one of the best offenses and capable defenses in the league, he needs to make sure he convinces each and every one of these players to buy into the system he puts in place to accommodate all this new talent. Having everyone buy in has allowed his system to function so well, and that could cause a lot more problems this season.

It will be fascinating to see how many different lineups Stevens plays out. there is a good chance that the opening night starting unit will change throughout the season. He will have to try a lot of different things as he figures out what players can do on the second unit.

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This is going to be Stevens’ biggest test and hardest team to reach expectations, but it can also reap the most rewards. If Stevens makes this lineup work, and brings out the talent the way he has in the past, then this is certainly a championship contending team, and getting the best out of this talent this season should mean the first Coach of the Year Award for Stevens.