It didn’t take long for the Boston Celtics to have a busy offseason.
Less than 24 hours after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs, the whole Celtics’ landscape was tossed asunder.
On Wednesday morning, it was reported that Celtics President Danny Ainge would be retiring and that current head coach Brad Stevens was being promoted to President of Basketball Operations, effectively ending his tenure as Boston’s head coach.
We don’t have time to get into all the details of why those decisions were made or what the impact of all that means for Boston in this piece; what I’m focusing on is the immediate future of who will be replacing Stevens as the Celtics’ head coach.
Stevens will help lead the charge to find his replacement, and several names have already been linked to the position.
Here at the Houdini, we want to lay out some of the big names, internal options, and outside the box hires that could take over the Celtics’ job and try and lead the team to their 18th banner in franchise history.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I wanted to look at a lot of the most common names already being floated out there along with a few other “sleepers” that could have shots.
Here’s a look at some of the likely coaching candidates to be Boston’s next head coach.
The Top Names
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #1: Lloyd Pierce
Resume:
Atlanta Hawks (HC), 2018-2021 (fired)
NBA assistant from 2007-18 (Cavaliers, Warriors, Grizzlies, 76ers)
Santa Clara University (assistant), 2003-07
Record:
63-120
Age:
45
According to multiple reports, Lloyd Pierce has already emerged as a candidate for the Celtics’ head coaching position. While it’s not ideal for a reported top candidate to be a guy who was just fired mid-season, but Pierce does bring a lot of experience to the table.
Pierce is an outspoken coach who seemed to be on the upward trajectory before his untimely firing in Atlanta halfway through his third season there. He’s been in the league as a coach in some capacity for almost 20 years following a playing career overseas and a four-year stint as a collegiate assistant.
There are bigger, more intriguing names on this list, and Pierce never seemed to get things going in Atlanta. In fact, the Hawks really turned their season around after Pierce’s firing, going 27-11 under Nate McMillan and wining the Southeast Division to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #2: Jason Kidd
Resume:
Los Angeles Lakers (assistant), 2019-present
Milwaukee Bucks (HC), 2014-18 (fired)
Brooklyn Nets (HC), 2013-14
Record:
183-190
Age:
48
Another name that’s already been tied to Boston early in the search, Jason Kidd has been an assistant with the Lakers the last two years after being fired as head coach of the Bucks in 2018.
Kidd was a star point guard as a player, but his coaching career hasn’t seen the same success. Not even two weeks after retiring from the NBA, Kidd was hired as the Nets’ head coach in June of 2013 and only stayed there a season, leaving for the Bucks after Milwaukee sent the Nets two second-round draft picks. The Bucks struggled to finish above .500 under Kidd, and he was fired midway through the 2017-18 campaign.
The former 10-time All-Star as a player has had a rollercoaster of a coaching career, but his last two years with the Lakers — one that included a championship — could be just what he needed to get his head coaching path back on track.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #3: Sam Cassell
Resume:
Philadelphia 76ers (assistant), 2020-present
Los Angeles Clippers (assistant), 2014-20
Washington Wizards (assistant), 2009-14
Record:
N/A
Age:
51
According to SportsLine, Sam Cassell is the current favorite to land the Celtics’ head coaching job, and Bleacher Report has him as their frontrunner, too. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but the former 3-time NBA Champion has certainly garnered a lot of buzz as an assistant coach the last decade.
Cassell ended his playing career with the Celtics in 2008, winning a ring in the process. Since then, he’s spent the last 12 years as an assistant in the league. Cassell currently serves as an assistant for the 76ers, and he was already lauded as a stellar assistant early on in Washington in his first gig.
Cassell is known for developing point guards and has the type of personality that could really help Boston’s roster. His lack of head coaching experience could be a drawback, but Cassell has ties to the Celtics and former players.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #4: Chauncey Billups
Resume:
Los Angeles Clippers (assistant), 2020-present
Record:
N/A
Age:
44
Another former NBA player with ties to the Celtics, Chauncy Billups has already been mentioned with the C’s open job, too. Billups has the second-best odds to land the position per SportsLine, and Billups certainly knows Boston.
The Celtics drafted Billups No. 3 overall in the 1997 NBA Draft, and although he and then-head coach Rick Pitino did not get along, Billups now has connections with current players on Boston’s roster and certainly seems like a likely candidate.
Billups only has one year of coaching experience, though, serving as an assistant with another former team of his, the Clippers, this past season. Just like with Sam Cassell, though, his attitude and personality could be something the Celtics need.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #5: Kenny Atkinson
Resume:
Los Angeles Clippers (assistant), 2020-present
Brooklyn Nets (HC), 2016-20 (resigned)
Atlanta Hawks (assistant), 2012-16
New York Knicks (assistant), 2008-12
Record:
118-190
Age:
53
The most experienced name on this list, Kenny Atkinson has been an assistant with three different NBA franchises and was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets for four seasons before resigning two seasons ago.
Atkinson had a brutal start to his tenure at Brooklyn, going a combined 48-116 in his first two seasons as head coach. He helped lead the Nets to the playoffs in his third season, but the team fell back to below the .500 mark in his fourth year, and he resigned on March 7, 2020. That Nets team played better under Jacque Vaughn and made the playoffs, though they were swept in the first round and ended up hiring Steve Nash for this past season.
The freshly-turned 53-year-old has played and coached overseas, and he’s been in the NBA for nearly 15 years as a coach. He’s coached against the Celtics on numerous occasions, but he’s on the older end of what Boston might be looking for in their next head coach.
Internal Candidates
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #6: Jay Larranaga
Resume:
Boston Celtics (assistant), 2012-present
Ukraine (assistant), 2013-15
Erie BayHawks (HC), 2010-12
Ireland (HC), 2008-10
Record:
60-40 (in NBA D-League)
Age:
46
If Brad Stevens wants to hire someone who understand his system and what the Celtics are currently, then Jay Larranaga makes a lot of sense.
The veteran assistant coach has been with Boston for nearly a decade, joining the team in the waning years of the Doc Rivers era. Larranaga was actually interviewed as a possible replacement for Rivers, but Stevens was ultimately hired instead and kept Larranaga on. He was a big part of Stevens’ time as the C’s head coach.
Larranaga doesn’t have head coaching experience in the actual NBA, but he did coach the Erie BayHawks in the NBA Development League for two seasons while also coaching overseas before and after that.
There are undoubtedly bigger and sexier names on Boston’s list, but if Stevens and the rest of the Celtics’ front office don’t want to disrupt things too much, Larranaga is definitely an option.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #7: Evan Turner
Resume:
Boston Celtics (assistant), 2020-present
Record:
N/A
Age:
32
Though he’s only been a coach with Boston for one year, apparently former NBA player Evan Turner has already gained the respect of the Celtics’ most talented player.
Turner was an assistant for the Celtics this past season, and he took to Twitter shortly after all the flurry of news happened on Wednesday to say the “rumors and speculations about me being the next head coach of the Boston Celtics are absolutely false!”
That didn’t stop Jayson Tatum from sharing his opinion on the matter, though, as he quoted that tweet and added “was hoping they would be true.”
Was hoping they would be true https://t.co/g7hdWzI1B2
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) June 2, 2021
Turner is probably too young and too inexperienced as a coach to be truly considered, but if Tatum really wants him as head coach, then Boston should at least listen to what he has to say.
Outside the Box Names
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #8: Becky Hammon
Resume:
San Antonio Spurs (assistant), 2014-present
Record:
N/A
Age:
44
One day, Becky Hammon is going to get the call to become a head coach. Why not at Boston?
Hammon has been an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich at San Antonio since 2014, and she became the first woman to serve as acting head coach in an NBA game when she filled in for Pop after he was ejected during the Spurs’ December 30th contest against the Lakers. She led the Spurs’ NBA Summer League team to a Las Vegas Summer League title, becoming the first woman to do so in NBA history, and she famously has the respect of many of the NBA’s top players.
The kind of culture Popovich and Hammon have helped cultivate in San Antonio would be huge for a Boston team that has several young, still-developing talents on the roster. Her lack of true head coaching experience could be a deterrent, but Brad Stevens seems like the kind of person to look outside conventions when making a hire.
Hammon has just as high of a ceiling as some of the other former players who are currently assistant coaches who have been mentioned in this list already. She’s just as qualified, if not more so, than most of them, too.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #9: Kara Lawson
Resume:
Duke (HC), 2020-present
Boston Celtics (assistant), 2019-20
Record:
3-1 (in college, season ended due to COVID)
Age:
40
After spending years in the broadcast booth and gaining respect and admiration by the basketball world after her playing days ended, Kara Lawson was hired by the Celtics to serve as an assistant coach under Brad Stevens. Could he turn to her to replace him now?
Lawson is in a bit of an interesting situation as it stands, though. She was hired last offseason to become the next head coach of Duke’s women’s basketball program, and the Blue Devils were off to a 3-1 start before making the decision to end their season early due to ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, Lawson’s debut season as head coach was cut abruptly short.
Just like with Hammon, Lawson is thought of highly in the NBA, and she has already coached with Boston once before. She worked a lot with Marcus Smart in her one year with the Celtics, and she’s had a taste of head coaching life.
Still, bringing her back to Boston may not make sense considering she just accepted the head coaching job at Duke and has only barely coached there.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #10: Jarron Collins
Resume:
Golden State Warriors (assistant), 2014-present
Record:
N/A
Age:
42
There hasn’t been much early chatter about Jarron Collins being tied to Boston’s head coaching vacancy, but he’s one of the top names in the assistant coaching world in the NBA and is expected to get his shot as a head coach sometime soon.
Collins ended his playing career in 2011 and started working as a scout for the Clippers in 2013 as well as spending time as a college basketball analyst for Pac-12 Networks. in 2014, Golden State hired Collins as a player development coach, and he was promoted to assistant in 2015. He helped the Warriors win the 2015, 2017, and 2018 NBA Finals, and he appears ready to try his hand as a head coach.
Boston has a lot of young talent Collins could help mold, and he’s coached with some of the best shooters in the game during his time at Golden State. If Collins’ absence of head coaching experience isn’t a big deterrent, he could be a sleeper option to keep an eye on.
Other Names to Watch
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #11: Mark Jackson
Resume:
Golden State Warriors (HC), 2011-14 (fired)
Record:
121-109
Age:
56
Mark Jackson seems to want to get back into coaching, and now a premiere job has opened up. Should the Celtics come calling?
Jackson seemingly helped lay the foundation for what the Golden State Warriors would become under Steve Kerr, but he built up a reputation for not getting along with ownership or the Warriors’ front office in this three years there.
Still, Jackson took a team that had struggled to finish above .500 and went 23-43 in his first season as head coach to getting in the playoffs his second season — the first time for the franchise since 2007 — and winning 51 games in his third season — the most wins for the Warriors since the 1991-92 season.
There’s plenty to nitpick about Jackson, and there are certainly reasons he’s been out of coaching since the Warriors terminated his contract after the 2013-14 season. He’ll be a name that gets mentioned with Boston’s vacancy, though.
Boston Celtics head coach candidate #12: Jay Wright
Resume:
Villanova (HC), 2001-present
Hofstra (HC), 1994-2001
Record:
609-273 (in college)
Age:
59
It seems like every time there’s a noteworthy NBA job that comes open, Villanova’s Jay Wright is mentioned as a possible candidate. That’s already starting to happen with the Celtics’ head coaching position.
Wright has been one of the most successful college basketball coaches over the last decade, winning two national titles with Villanova over the last six seasons and making it to three Final Fours with the Wildcats. Villanova has made it to at least the Sweet Sixteen seven times under Wright, and he’s taken the Wildcats to 15-straight NCAA Tournament appearances after a five-year drought from 2000-04. Before that, Wright was also a successful head coach at Hofstra for seven seasons.
After all this time, though, it’s hard to imagine Wright will ever take an NBA job. Boston has shown they aren’t afraid to dip into the college world to hire a head coach, though, as Brad Stevens went that route himself. Jim O’Brien and Rick Pitino also come to mind.