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Brad Stevens Continues to be Boston’s Best Asset

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - MAY 10: Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics draws up plays before Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 10: Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics draws up plays before Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics have cashed in a lot of their assets, but the very best is staying exactly where he belongs

Ever since the rebuild began, Danny Ainge has been notorious for his stockpiling of assets. There were times when it felt as though Ainge would never sell what he had, but that finally stopped after Kyrie Irving was acquired.

Ainge lost his prized star, who was responsible for leading the rebuild, and played a major role in getting Al Horford. Now the Celtics have lost that, lost their third pick from the Nets, and have used the other two on two of the more promising young players form the last two drafts in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics have cashed in on everything that was brought in through Ainge’s brilliant trading, but one thing continues to be true: Brad Stevens is the most important piece of this team.

Everyone can see the brilliance of Stevens with the results on the court. He took one of the least talented teams in the league, and got everyone to buy into a system that brought them into the playoffs when they had no business being there.

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As the talent increased, the results followed, with the Celtics exceeding preseason expectations each and every season. Throw in the out of timeout plays, and Stevens has established one of the most respected reputations in the league in a short period of time.

That alone is enough to put Stevens up there with any player in terms of importance. This offseason, however, has shown us why Stevens is even more special than that.

We often hear about players are drawn to certain teams because of the other players they would have around them. Most of it is talent and some of it could also be personality and demeanor, but the players on a team are usually the biggest factor in drawing in players.

For the Celtics, more so than any individual player, people want to play with Stevens. When you see each and every player improve after joining the team, players see a rare opportunity with Stevens, and the results speak for themselves.

It is quite easy to see why Gordon Hayward was drawn to Stevens. They have the history from Butler, and Hayward mentioned himself about their unfinished business. Hayward has the experience that allows him to know that Stevens is the best coach for him, and there is a great chance that Hayward would not have chosen the Celtics if not for Stevens.

In fact, there is probably a better chance Hayward picks the Celtics with Stevens, even if you take out any of the individual players on the team. Quite frankly, that is quite obvious this season considering the majority of the players from last year are now gone.

Now, it has been revealed that Stevens is one of the reasons the Celtics were a choice destination for Irving. Irving spoke about how he wants to show the world what he can become, and after the difference Stevens made with Isaiah Thomas, he is ready to buy into whatever Stevens has planned for him, leading a championship contending team the way Stevens needs him to.

Gary Washburn went so far as to say that Irving is “ecstatic” to play for Stevens, and that tells you everything you need to know.

There really can be no argument now, players are drawn to Stevens, and everything indicates to both Irving and Hayward buying into everything that he wants to do.

One of the most amazing things about Stevens is that he makes it as easy as possible for a player to buy in. There is a lot of speculation about Irving’s ability to translate to an offense that is centered around ball movement, eliminating the most spectacular part of his game, isolation.

What that speculation is ignoring is that Stevens is not going to do anything to get in the way of Irving or Hayward’s talent. These players want to play for Stevens because he is a master if identifying what the best way to use a player is. You can see the immense talent Irving has when he plays in isolation, and Stevens is going to embrace every aspect of that talent.

Players can see how he adapts his system to bring out his talent, and with the results he’s had in the past, players will be a lot more enthusiastic to change parts of their game. Those changes are so great because they are not in directions that the players will oppose.

Next: Isaiah Thomas Leaves With More Motivation

Stevens has never had this much talent at his disposal, but if he continues his ability to get players to buy in while getting the most out of their talent then you will not only see an improved Celtics team, but an improved Hayward and Irving.

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