Boston Celtics: 4 potential replacements for Brad Stevens if he joins IU

Boston Celtics possible Brad Stevens replacement #1: Steve Clifford

Since joining the Magic as their head coach, Steve Clifford has done nothing but elevate the profile of the team. Mired in mediocrity and formerly unable to qualify for the postseason since Dwight Howard left town, Orlando has shifted the narrative since Clifford became the lead locker-room voice.

The Magic were likely in for another step forward from their core in 2020-21, but devastating injuries to both Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz derailed the team’s hopes of remaining competitive this year. Those hopes were essentially dashed for good when Cole Anthony missed a month of action due to a fractured rib.

The hand dealt to him has been a challenging one in 2020-21, but if Clifford isn’t retained by Orlando this offseason, he’d be a proven Cs replacement that has shown his ability to bring far less talented teams (Charlotte, Orlando) to the postseason.

Boston Celtics possible Brad Stevens replacement #2: Kevin McHale

Perhaps a good way to reinspire confidence from the Boston Celtics fanbase would be for the team to bring in an all-time Cs legend who spent his entire career in green and white.

While Kevin McHale has not coached in the NBA since a rough start to the 2015-16 season, his firing was perhaps premature (particularly after his Houston Rockets had just played in the Western Conference Finals) and there may still be a possibility that he can do great things as a head coach in the NBA.

McHale recently stated that the Cs should be doing more to make each other better on the hardwood, so maybe McHale would be willing to answer that call himself and lead the team’s stars into the future after overseeing James Harden’s ascension in Houston.

It’d be a storybook ending to see McHale replicate his championship success as a player by bringing another banner to Boston as a coach.