Brad Stevens reveals underrated advantage Celtics have over everyone

It’s Media Day for the Boston Celtics, and general manager Brad Stevens has already heaped a ton of praise onto the defending champions. 

Stevens sent a strong message about Boston’s veteran leadership, and Al Horford and Jrue Holiday, in particular. In his interview with NBC Sports Boston, Stevens believes Horford and Holiday are the best vets in the business.

“If you truly want to talk about the best vet leadership in the league, there’s no way anybody has got us beat there,” Stevens said. “Those two (Horford and Holiday) are as good as it gets because they’re all about all of the right stuff … It’s not all about you when you’re apart of this thing, your best players have to exemplify that…”

Brad Stevens says Al Horford and Jrue Holiday are best vets in NBA

Horford and Holiday have a combined 32 years of experience in the NBA. They have a combined seven All-Star selections and seven All-Defensive selections. Most important of all, they are both NBA champions.

Horford has played with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for most of their careers, and Holiday was there with Horford to help the Jays capture their first championship. Without the leadership and experience of Horford (38 years old) and Holiday (34 years old), Celtics fans might still be waiting for Banner 18.

With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined for most of the Celtics’ title run, Horford started in 15 of Boston’s 19 playoff games. Big Al shot an incredible 72.1% on two-pointers and nailed 36.8% of his threes.

Last postseason, Horford had two separate games with six or more three-pointers. In a closeout Game 5 against Cleveland, Horford turned back the clock with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks on 6/13 shooting from three. He hit seven threes in Game 3 of the conference finals, torching the Pacers for 23 points on a 7/12 clip from beyond the arc.

Aside from his on-court versatility, Horford is one of the best teammates in the league. Tatum has called Horford his favorite teammate he has ever had on multiple occasions.

Speaking of exceptional teammates, Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year Award winner. The two-time champ played an integral role in Boston’s championship run, making things happen as a primary ball handler for the Celtics while standing out most of all for his impeccable defensive impact.

When it comes to the veteran leadership of Horford and Holiday, Stevens may have a point. Nobody sets a better example for younger players than the Horford/Holiday duo, and it showed in the collective professionalism that permeated throughout the Banner 18 roster last season.

Horford and Holiday are consummate pros, and they are ready to lead again as defending champions. It’s safe to say the Celtics are in good hands with these two as their vets.